Lettuce Begin...

Lettuce mixed with annuals in a basket

Last year was the first year I tried mixing vegetables with flowers in containers.  The window boxes on the upper deck were my favorite with lettuces mixed with nasturtiums and sweet peas.  All were starts from the nursery. I could walk out on the deck, pick some clean lettuce and use it in salads.  I will do this again this year adding some more edibles upstairs.

At my mom's house, we used lettuce as filler in some containers, but it rarely got picked and ended up leggy.  Lesson learned was to only use the lettuce near the kitchen and in a spot easy for picking.  Perhaps this year her containers should be veggies with a flower accent.  That way they are grouped together and easier to pick.


Sweet peas and lettuce are only good early in the season, so I need to come up with a replacement. Last year "left-over" annuals didn't look so good. Also, the coconut husk liners are great, but this year I must only buy the ones that are lined. This would be a great year to figure the size of the baskets and hanging planters and keep that info in my phone so I'll have it when shopping.