It was February in Oklahoma, and I got tired of buying lettuce for $3 a head for burgers or tacos and then finding half of that head in the back of the refrigerator, looking more like a moldy lime.

I saw an old planter in my greenhouse and an idea came to me, could I possibly just fill this old thing with dirt, add some lettuce seeds, and grow enough lettuce for garnish until time to start the garden? The answer was yes.

Lettuce is a cool-weather vegetable, so the greenhouse would be a no-go. I simply filled the container with potting soil, watered it until it was moist, sprinkled the green leaf lettuce seeds down the middle, and lightly covered them with more soil.

I picked up the seeds at my local Tractor Supply, but a person can buy them on Amazon. Make sure to read the package directions though, some lettuce seed doesn’t like to be covered, it needs sun to germinate.

I just set this on my porch when it got a few hours of sunlight. If it was going to freeze, I stuck it in the garage for the night. While lettuce enjoys cool weather, it is not big on a freeze.

I watered it when it was getting dry and left it alone for about three weeks.

Green leaf lettuce worked well because I pick individual leaves for whatever I need.

My goal was to produce enough lettuce for burgers and tacos so I didn’t waste buying whole heads in the grocery store. I was pleasantly surprised when this worn-out window planter made enough lettuce for several salads before the lettuce in the garden began growing.

It kept growing until June when it simply got too hot for lettuce to survive. (When lettuce gets hot, it will get a bitter taste.)

I am planning to do this again when the weather turns cooler in September.

My favorite lettuce seeds: https://amzn.to/3aqfdsF

Use what you want and stick the rest in the freezer in a freezer bag. They will last a couple of years.

This is the planter I used: https://amzn.to/3uBXoxC