When temperatures start their downward slide and tomatoes in the garden give up their fight for survival, do you more or less relegate those fresh crisp salads to next year? The best nutritional   information (past and present) insists that fresh green salads are a must. So what do we do when
the "supply line" to the supermarket is "out of order?" Or the price is "out of sight?"

Great-Grandma had a slightly different problem. Salad greens (and tomatoes) weren't available out
of season... unless she raised her own in that bay window on the south side of her home. Yes, I know that most modern homes don't have bay windows... but they do have windows... and I have in mind a small solar salad house.

Build a sturdy window box to fit your chosen south-facing window. For convenience sake, make it no more than 18" deep. Paint your box both inside and out.

Build a frame of 1" X 4" strips to in which to set the glass or Plexiglas.

From a 12" board, cut a wedge to fit across the ends on which to you will lay your glass roof. A 5" rise should be enough, narrowing to 1" at the outer edge.

Caulk at all joints, tape clear plastic snugly across the inside of all glass and weatherstrip where the frame meets the house.

Arrange your pots in it and fill between with four (4) inches of sawdust; this absorbs the moisture escaping from the plants when you water them with tepid water and retains the heat acquired during the day, keeping the temperature at the roots of your plants even.

In this little garden, you can raise your cherry tomatoes, green peppers (don't forget to pollinate
delicately with a feather... no bees!), lettuces, chives, whatever.

If the night gets way too cold... open the window and share the warmth :)

Relic

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