Life at Cloverhill

Craft Tutorial DIY Flowers Garden Summer Projects

Salad Planters {Mother’s Day Gift Idea}

With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, many of us are looking for ways to show our mothers how much we appreciate them.

 

salad-planter

Rather than giving them flowers or a card, make some salad planters that will give them a bounty of fresh salad ingredients throughout the season!

 

salad-planter

Full of fresh herbs, lettuces and edible flowers, they’re not only functional, but pretty too, looking great on a porch, balcony or kitchen window.

 

It all started with these simple wooden crates from the dollar store.
DIY-wooden-crate
A little staining, painting and distressing and I had these DIY Vintage Wooden Crates.

To make the crates water resistant for holding plants, I used this florist’s tip – line them with thick plastic. Next time you have an arrangement in a basket or wooden container from a florist’s shop, take a peek down the side, and I bet you’ll find them lined like this.

 

You can attach the plastic with staples or thread, but I’ve found that a hot glue gun works great. It adheres the plastic to the crate and also melts into place a little.

 

salad-planter
Line the bottom of the crate with rocks to help with drainage. Then it is just a matter of filling the crates with rich soil and planting your salad plants. In this smaller crate, I planted fragrant purple basil along with peppery arugula. Both will bring some great flavour to a salad.
salad-planter

The large crate holds green basil, along with cilantro (Garrett’s favourite) and red leaf lettuce. Water regularly, as lettuces like moist soil, and drier soil can produce bitter leaves.

Types of Lettuces and Herbs to Grow

 

Having fresh herbs and salad leaves in a container garden is an easy way to keep fresh ingredients on hand. They require very little maintenance for great results!

Lettuces

  • Arugula
  • Red Leaf Lettuce
  • Buttercrunch Lettuce
  • Baby Spinach

Herbs

  • Basil
  • Purple Basil
  • Cilantro/Coriander
  • Parsley
  • Thyme
  • Oregano
  • Rosemary
  • Dill
  • Sage
  • Tarragon
  • Chives
  • Mint
Pruning Your Lettuces and Herbs

As you pick off lettuce leaves and herbs, they will continue to grow throughout the season and make your bounty last longer.

Lettuces – Cut the outer lettuce leaves about 1 inch from the soil line. Cut while the plant is young and tender.
Herbs – Pinch off the stem, about 1/4″ down from the top set of leaves. Pinching encourages growth and will give you a fuller herb plant. It also prevents the plant from going into bloom, which will stop it from producing fragrant foliage for the rest of the season.

 

Edible Flowers
Edible flowers have long been used in dishes all over the world and are starting to make a comeback in salads. Flowers like these Viola Violets add a lovely punch of colour to any dish.
Edible flowers are great, but you need to take some precautions to eat them safely:

 

  • Eat flowers you know to be consumable. If you are uncertain, consult a reference book on edible flowers and plants.
  • Eat flowers you have grown yourself, or know to be safe for consumption. Flowers from the florist or nursery may have been treated with pesticides or other chemicals.
  • Do not eat roadside flowers or those picked in public parks. Both may have been treated with herbicide or pesticide. Roadside flowers may also be polluted by car exhaust.
  • Only eat the petals, and remove stamens and pistils before eating.

 

 

Edible Flowers

  • Violet (Viola)
  • Carnation
  • Impatien
  • Lilac
  • Marigold
  • Pansy
  • Snapdragon
  • Squash Blossom
  • Rose
  • Hollyhock
  • Chamomile
  • Gladiolas
  • Nasturtium
  • Begonia
  • Chive Blossom
  • Dandelion
  • Hibiscus
  • Peony
salad-planter
Surprise your mother this Mother’s Day with a lush salad planter!
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Comments

  4. Tamsyn says

    These are gorgeous. My mum would absolutely love it if I gave her something like this for Mother’s Day. I should probably get started on them 🙂

    • Amanda says

      Congrats on your first herb garden! It is so nice to have them on hand all summer. I even freeze and dry my leftovers at the end of the season to enjoy throughout the winter months too. Hope you have a great first season 🙂