Sentry Page Protection
Salad Bowls Make Great Gifts

If you’re looking for a cute and personal gift idea, that won't cost a fortune, look no further than the beautiful salad bowls have become popular in nurseries all over the country. There are even indoor salad gardens you can buy off the TV! And they are perfect for the person that has everything. Let’s run through four reasons why salad bowls make great gifts and then we’ll wrap it up with a few tips on putting the perfect gift bowl together.
1. They are Inexpensive
Salad bowls make an impressive, yet inexpensive gift. This is particularly true if you already have a bowl and potting mix to work with. Even if you end up going out to buy a planter, you’ll still spend less than on most other gifts.
Growing your lettuce, spinach and herbs from seed is another great way to save and make this a frugal yet impressive gift. Best of all, when you’re done it won't look cheap or homemade. If possible, if you're using seedlings, put it together a week or two before you give it away to give all the plants a chance to recover from replanting and fill out a bit.
To save even more money, sow the seeds and grow the plants to seedling size yourself. A packet of lettuce seeds costs around $1, and has hundreds of seeds in it, so growing your own seedlings is very cost effective.
To find the perfect bowl, look in op shops and $2 shops and you're bound to find the ideal dish. And think outside the box (or bowl!). Clear glass bowls look amazing, or perhaps a repurposed pottery or ceramic casserole dish suits. Or look for retro and vintage pyrex bowls, jugs and casserole dishes and use them. They're often $2 - $5 each at op-shops and look amazing planted up. Remember the teak salad bowls and platters that were fashionable during the 60s and 70s as salad and fruit bowls? Planted up, they are stunning on a windowsill and are very cheap at op-shops, cheaper still at garage sales.
I've found looking in department stores limits the choice to what is in fashion when you look, and you pay the price for that fashion. But when you hunt around in op-shops and at markets or garage sales, or even your own kitchen cupboards (unused wedding present? Unwanted birthday gift?) you find a truly unique container for your salad bowl.
2. They are Easy to Make
If you’re already growing your own salad greens in shallow bowls you know how easy it is to put this together. If you’re new to the idea, this may be a great time to not only put a salad bowl together as a gift, but a second one for yourself. If you can repot a plant, you can put one of these bowls together.
3. They can be Personalised
Salad bowls can become beautiful personalised gifts. You can choose a bowl that fits the recipient's personality or decor and then fill it with favourite lettuce varieties and herbs. The more you know about the person you’re giving it to, the easier it will become to personalise. Either way it is sure to be a unique and impressive gift.
4. They are a Gift that Keeps on Giving
One of the biggest benefits of giving a salad bowl as a gift, is that it’s a gift that keeps on giving. Each time the family you gifted this too harvests another plate of lettuce, they’ll fondly think of you and again appreciate the gift they’ve received. And you know you’re helping them eat healthier, homegrown food.
To create a beautiful salad bowl as a gift, start with a pretty bowl. Put some gravel or stones or broken crockery in the bottom (for drainage). Fill it with some quality potting mix that includes food safe slow release fertilizer; this makes it easy to care for the lettuce plants and ensures that the recipient gets a nice harvest. Plant your seedlings and voila - you have a ready-to-gift salad bowl.
Considering they start at $20 for a small salad bowl at the nursery and go up (I've seen larger, dinner plate sized bowls for $50) and you can put one together for perhaps $6, creating unique salad bowls will save your gift budget a fortune.
If you have the time and are already growing your own seedlings to use in these salad bowls, go ahead and grow a few extra in a few different varieties. Having salad bowls with several different colour greens and plants with varying heights add interest and visual appeal. Consider adding an herb or two for added interest and flavour. If you don’t have the time to grow from seed, head to your local garden centre and see what you have to work with. If everything else fails, you can always take some of your own plants and regrow for yourself.
Who would appreciate this gift? A cook, a busy mum, anyone who loves fresh food, anyone who is health conscious, apartment dwellers who don’t have the space for veggie gardens - just about anyone at all would enjoy receiving this gift.
1. They are Inexpensive
Salad bowls make an impressive, yet inexpensive gift. This is particularly true if you already have a bowl and potting mix to work with. Even if you end up going out to buy a planter, you’ll still spend less than on most other gifts.
Growing your lettuce, spinach and herbs from seed is another great way to save and make this a frugal yet impressive gift. Best of all, when you’re done it won't look cheap or homemade. If possible, if you're using seedlings, put it together a week or two before you give it away to give all the plants a chance to recover from replanting and fill out a bit.
To save even more money, sow the seeds and grow the plants to seedling size yourself. A packet of lettuce seeds costs around $1, and has hundreds of seeds in it, so growing your own seedlings is very cost effective.
To find the perfect bowl, look in op shops and $2 shops and you're bound to find the ideal dish. And think outside the box (or bowl!). Clear glass bowls look amazing, or perhaps a repurposed pottery or ceramic casserole dish suits. Or look for retro and vintage pyrex bowls, jugs and casserole dishes and use them. They're often $2 - $5 each at op-shops and look amazing planted up. Remember the teak salad bowls and platters that were fashionable during the 60s and 70s as salad and fruit bowls? Planted up, they are stunning on a windowsill and are very cheap at op-shops, cheaper still at garage sales.
I've found looking in department stores limits the choice to what is in fashion when you look, and you pay the price for that fashion. But when you hunt around in op-shops and at markets or garage sales, or even your own kitchen cupboards (unused wedding present? Unwanted birthday gift?) you find a truly unique container for your salad bowl.
2. They are Easy to Make
If you’re already growing your own salad greens in shallow bowls you know how easy it is to put this together. If you’re new to the idea, this may be a great time to not only put a salad bowl together as a gift, but a second one for yourself. If you can repot a plant, you can put one of these bowls together.
3. They can be Personalised
Salad bowls can become beautiful personalised gifts. You can choose a bowl that fits the recipient's personality or decor and then fill it with favourite lettuce varieties and herbs. The more you know about the person you’re giving it to, the easier it will become to personalise. Either way it is sure to be a unique and impressive gift.
4. They are a Gift that Keeps on Giving
One of the biggest benefits of giving a salad bowl as a gift, is that it’s a gift that keeps on giving. Each time the family you gifted this too harvests another plate of lettuce, they’ll fondly think of you and again appreciate the gift they’ve received. And you know you’re helping them eat healthier, homegrown food.
To create a beautiful salad bowl as a gift, start with a pretty bowl. Put some gravel or stones or broken crockery in the bottom (for drainage). Fill it with some quality potting mix that includes food safe slow release fertilizer; this makes it easy to care for the lettuce plants and ensures that the recipient gets a nice harvest. Plant your seedlings and voila - you have a ready-to-gift salad bowl.
Considering they start at $20 for a small salad bowl at the nursery and go up (I've seen larger, dinner plate sized bowls for $50) and you can put one together for perhaps $6, creating unique salad bowls will save your gift budget a fortune.
If you have the time and are already growing your own seedlings to use in these salad bowls, go ahead and grow a few extra in a few different varieties. Having salad bowls with several different colour greens and plants with varying heights add interest and visual appeal. Consider adding an herb or two for added interest and flavour. If you don’t have the time to grow from seed, head to your local garden centre and see what you have to work with. If everything else fails, you can always take some of your own plants and regrow for yourself.
Who would appreciate this gift? A cook, a busy mum, anyone who loves fresh food, anyone who is health conscious, apartment dwellers who don’t have the space for veggie gardens - just about anyone at all would enjoy receiving this gift.