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How to Plant an Indoor Lettuce Cart in 5 Steps

A Convenient and Satisfying Addition to Your Salad Routine
March 28, 2022
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Everyday

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How to plant an indoor lettuce cart, Waiting on Martha

I’m not sure if you remember, but this time last year I was falling in love with growing herbs in my garden.  That love for gardening, the taste of fresh-picked greens, and the fulfillment from seeing something grow and prosper at my very fingertips has only doubled, as can be expected.  So this year, I set out to expand my home garden by learning how to plant an indoor lettuce cart.  

The idea of an indoor lettuce cart struck a chord with me; I loved the thought of cultivating some of my most-used vegetables in the kitchen at home, and the wheeling the cart up to my counter whenever I wanted to use them.  And the fact that it’s INDOORS helps make it possible to enjoy homegrown greens all winter long.  I was in love with the idea of just with a little snip-snip-snip, having homegrown spinach in my salads, arugula on my flatbreads, cabbage in my slaw and broccoli on my plate!  

I did a little research, and after buying this super convenient salad garden on wheels, I set out to plant the already-sprouted varieties with fresh soil and fertilizer.  I visited my local nursery and bought already-growing vegetables: spinach, red leaf lettuce, cabbage and broccoli.  But you can, of course, grow the lettuce from seed and a seed starting mix (one that’s gentle enough to grow the crops from seed).   I really wanted to do arugula since it’s one of my all-time favorites, but sadly the nursery didn’t have it when I looked. And I know broccoli may be a little ambitious this time around, but I’m willing to give it a shot! 

You’ll find that lettuce is a very low maintenance vegetable to grow, but it does need a lot of sun.  One of my favorite things about this lettuce cart is that I can fit a lot of vegetable varieties on it, and since lettuce can grow pretty close together, I don’t run the risk of overcrowding the sprouted plants.  Since we may still get another frost here in the A before it’s truly springtime, it’s nice to have this cart that I can wheel in and out of my garage to get optimal sunlight. 

Tell me friends, do you have plans to grow an indoor lettuce cart this year?  Find a few essentials as you get started on your own indoor lettuce cart in the scrolling widget, and read a step-by-step tutorial below!  Truly, MKR


P.S. We just added these amazing Organic Grow Kits in the shoppe! Get started with your lettuce cart with one of these…so fun! xo

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Scout Your Location

Stack-n-Grow Light System

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You want to find a place in your house that gets 12 hours of bright sunlight every day. For lettuce especially, a south-facing window is apparently best.  Try to find a place that won’t have any cold drafts or too much heat (and of course, away from curious furry friends!).  If you can’t find enough light from a window, you can grow your crops under special lights like these. 

Gather the Container, Soil & Seeds

Organic Seed Starter

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Next, you’ll want to find good containers for your crops.  Look for flat, shallow containers that allow for good drainage. 

For the soil, stay away from “potting soil” – it’s usually too rough/course in texture for growing your plants from seeds.  Instead, this organic seed starter works great. 

 

Plant the Varieties

3-Piece Garden Tool Set

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For those of you (like me) who bought their crops already-growing, transfer them into the containers with the seed starter mix.  Otherwise, moisten the soil and fill the containers a few inches with the mix.  Next, scatter the seeds about an inch apart.  Top them with a thin layer of planting mix. 

You’ll want the containers to maintain moisture, so you can cover them loosely with plastic wrap to create a greenhouse-effect.  Keep the seedlings moist but not overwatered.

Watch Their Growth & Trim If Necessary

Easy Grow Fertilizer

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Check the crops daily for signs of sprouts, and once they appear, you’ll want to remove the plastic cover.  Thin the seedlings out with a pair of scissors so that they have about an inch around them to grow.

As soon as the plants start to have their first set of true leaves, you can give them liquid fertilizer like this one. Watch their moisture level, and make sure the seedlings stay moist but don’t ever get drowned in too much water.  

Harvest Your Crops

Gold Scissors

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Indoor baby lettuce will be ready to be harvested after 3-4 weeks (it will be about 4″ tall). To harvest, cut the outer leaves first, trimming the base about an inch from the soil.  You’ll want to leave the rest of the leaves to grow a few days longer.  When the plant is completely harvested, you can plant another from scratch.

Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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An Easy At-Home Holiday Breakfast Bar For Guests

How to set up an easy and festive self-serve holiday breakfast bar
December 20, 2018
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > "Hostess with the Mostest"

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One of the favorite things I have in my home is a makeshift tea station upstairs in my bedroom.  Ove the years, I’ve become a major night-time tea drinker.  And because I spend the majority of my evenings cozied up in my bed working, reading, or watching TV I got tired of running downstairs 2-3 times just to put the kettle on to get more tea. So, to alleviate that last year I purchased an electric tea kettle and turned a bar cart into a tea station. 

It’s nothing fancy, just an electric tea kettle and a tray full of mugs, tea bags, mulling spices, and all-things cozy. So when thinking about hosting all of our holiday guests this season I thought, why not turn my upstairs bar into an at-home holiday breakfast bar.  

If you’ve been following my Blog for a while then you know I have an upstairs loft that I turned into a sort of game room/bar area. It’s an awkward space, that truly doesn’t get used a lot. But it’s beautiful and I knew it would perfect for this self-serve idea.  

So why not set this up in the kitchen? Two main reasons.  One, it’s festive and fun, and I love doing small things like this to really make guests feel welcome and like you went all out for them. 

And two, all of the bedrooms are upstairs while the kitchen is downstairs.  I, like many people, love a slow, quiet start to my morning.  I don’t necessarily want to get dressed, and ready and head downstairs and start my day right away.  By having everything guests need right outside their door they can pop out and grab a cup of coffee or tea, and a breakfast pastry and head back to their room to have that nice leisurely start that every vacation should have.  Plus at night it can be used as that sleepy time tea station has become part of my nightly routine.

Regardless of where you set it up, a self-serve, holiday breakfast bar is beyond easy to create.  First, I made sure that I had all the morning necessities present.  Coffee maker, electric tea kettle, and toaster. I love this new vintage set from Russell & Hobbs.  It’s well priced, works like a gem, looks adorable, and the toaster even has a croissant toasting shelf!

Second, stock your holiday breakfast bar with everything guests would need to make it self serve so everyone can run at their own speed in the morning.  Think mugs, water, tea bags, coffee, sugar, utensils, napkins, etc.  And I stashed all of the extras in the drawers making it super easy if guests run out of anything. 

Third, I made it festive with holiday-themed coffee blends, pastries,  jams, packets of cocoa and tea. And of course, added a wreath and a few of my favorite rosemary and lavender Christmas trees as decor.

Lastly, I always make sure guests know that this is there for them to access at any time.  There’s nothing worse than being a guest who feels they have to tip-toe around their hosts.

And that’s it.  An easy at home holiday breakfast bar that is as festive as it is functional! Tell me, how do you make guests feel welcome in your home? Truly, MKR
 


 

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Styling a Chic & Functional Office Coffee Bar

The Makings of a Small But Mighty Corner for the Waiting on Martha Team
June 29, 2016
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Entertaining

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Coffee bar styling ideas and organizationCoffee station organization in office, Waiting on MarthaOffice morning routine with Ashley Brooke Designs, Waiting on Martha Office coffee bar and beverage station, Waiting on Martha Waiting on Martha office coffee stationWaiting on Martha's office coffee bar with Ashley Brooke Designs mugsOffice bar organization, Waiting on Martha

When designing our Waiting on Martha Team office, it was simple to design the easy-on-the-eye aesthetics.  But what about the practical we’re-getting-sh**-done-here part of the space?  We needed a working kitchenette that doubles as a tech/printer storage solution to keep things organized, and we DEFINITELY needed a coffee bar to kickstart our mornings and of course, close out our days with wine.  But the real catch; I didn’t have a big budget for all of those needs. 

To stick to the budget I journeyed to Lowe’s and found a wardrobe, bathroom vanity unit, and simple white wall shelving that I DIY’d to create the kitchenette you see now.  I drilled holes in the back for all our tech chords and switched out the handles brass versions which gave the unit a bit more pizazz.   The wardrobe, part of the Allen + Roth organizational line, does a great job housing our office printer, mode, phone, etc. and is easy on the eye because it blends in completely with the space.

On top of the kitchenette (and all around the office), I added woven baskets to stash stuff.  Baskets are one of my favorite ways to add warmth to any space and hide and/or store anything you don’t want just lying around.  Lastly, our office French press and all of our coffee accompaniments live nice and organized on the “bathroom vanity” beside it, (to my immense delight, having our office at ADAC allows me to use hot, steaming water at a snap of a finger for my French press coffee…#gamechanger!).  I even used the drawer to hold all of our coffee and entertaining extras.

Above the “bathroom vanity” I installed two simple floating bookshelves (which perfectly align with the popular open shelving trend) to hold our mugs, water, bowls, glasses, and favorite coffee.  This is probably the absolute easiest shelving option to install; I got mine from Lowe’s, but Target, Ikea and West Elm sell a variety of options at different price points.  Just pull out your level and hang them on the wall with brackets. 

Lastly, since I segmented the large office space into several separate vignettes, I knew I wanted to create an inviting area for members of the team to meet over coffee.  The corner, however, is on the smaller side, so I turned to this skinny marble top console table to serve as our bar, with two white cafe stools.  This is where I did splurge and spend the majority of my budget because I knew—just like a home’s kitchen—this space would end up being the heart of the office.  A place where we’d sit, plan, gab, and enjoy our beloved coffee and wine.  And it’s marble, so duh.  The end result?  A chic, functional corner to share all of our brilliant ideas.  Truly, MKR

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Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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