#containergrowing

Small Container Veggies for Table Decor

Hello and welcome back to Just Facilitating Life! Today, I’m excited to share a creative and practical idea that blends my passion for gardening with my professional life as a restaurant manager.

Transforming Our Patio Space

Like many businesses, our restaurant had to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of our most significant changes was setting up a spacious and inviting outdoor patio. It looks fantastic, but I wanted to add a touch of decor that would align with our brand’s emphasis on fresh, healthy, and local food.

The Initial Idea: Flowers

My first thought was to adorn the tables with flowers. They’re beautiful and add a pleasant ambiance, but maintaining fresh flowers can be quite a task. Cut flowers would need replacing every few days, which seemed impractical.

The Epiphany: Edible Decor

Then it hit me—why not grow vegetables as table decor? It would perfectly complement our farm-to-table concept. But the challenge was to do it in small, aesthetically pleasing containers.

Experimenting with Mason Jars

Initially, I considered using mason jars for a hydroponic setup. However, mason jars require a covering to prevent algae growth in the nutrient solution, which didn’t fit the rustic look I envisioned.

The Perfect Solution: Rustic Metal Milk Containers

A stroke of luck came when I visited a 99 cent store that was closing down. I found charming rustic metal milk containers labeled "Flower and Garden." They were perfect for our decor theme, and they were on sale! I bought every single one.

Overcoming the Leaky Containers

Excitedly, I brought them home, only to find that they leaked. Not ready to give up, I inserted food saver bags inside the containers, securing them with mason jar lid rings. This improvised solution worked perfectly, making the containers watertight.

Planting the Seedlings

With my containers ready, I planted a mix of lettuce seedlings. The result was adorable table decor that grows right before your eyes. I also planted a cucumber and placed it on a shelf in our patio area. The cucumber thrived, even producing fruit! I left one on the vine a bit too long, and it started to turn yellow, but that just added to the charm.

The Kratky Method: Low Maintenance

For these setups, I used the Kratky method, a simple form of hydroponics that doesn’t require pumps or electricity. Once set up, I didn’t have to refill the nutrient solution for the entire six-week lifecycle of the lettuce. It was incredibly low maintenance.

Rotating the Crops

Today, I’m refreshing our decor by replacing the lettuce with bok choy, dwarf tomatoes, and ornamental Thai chili pepper seedlings. These new plants will not only enhance our patio’s aesthetic but also spark conversation among our guests about our commitment to fresh, local produce.

Final Thoughts

Creating these small container veggie displays has been a rewarding experience. It marries my passion for gardening with our restaurant’s ethos, providing a unique and sustainable touch to our outdoor dining space. I hope this inspires you to think creatively about how you can incorporate plants into your decor, whether at home or in your business.

Back in July, I decided to jump into vertical hydroponics and got my hands on the Lettuce Grow Farmstand. I found it on OfferUp for an amazing deal, and I couldn’t be happier with how it’s been working out. This thing has truly transformed how I grow my veggies.

For those not familiar, the Farmstand is a modular grow tower that allows you to expand your plant capacity from 18 to 36 slots, depending on your household’s needs and cooking frequency. It’s designed to be easy to use, and let me tell you—it is! It’s basically a “set it and forget it” kind of system. Once you set it up, all you need to do is add nutrients as required, and the tower does the rest. I’ve already harvested three times since July, and I’m still blown away by how efficient this system is.

Leafy greens like lettuce and spinach have thrived the most—growing fast and providing multiple harvests. I even tried a cucumber plant, which was a fun experiment. Although it produced cucumbers, the vines ended up trailing onto the ground, so that’s something to keep in mind if you try growing heavier or more vine-prone plants.

Right now, I’ve got tamarillo, pink amaranth, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower growing in the Farmstand, and it looks fantastic. The tower is definitely an eye-catcher once everything starts filling in. It’s been a hit with neighbors and friends, who are always asking me about it!

One of the best things about the Farmstand is how easy it is to clean and maintain. The design is simple yet effective, and I love that it’s modular—so if I ever need more space, I can easily expand. The company also offers LED Glow Rings for indoor growing, which is great for when the weather turns cold. However, I’ve been toying with the idea of making my own indoor lighting system to avoid buying their LED setup.

I’m currently working on a 3D-printed mount for LED strip grow lights that will fit around the tower, giving me full control over the lighting without the extra expense. It’s a work in progress, but I’m excited about how it will turn out and will definitely update you once I get it dialed in.

For anyone considering vertical hydroponics, I highly recommend the Lettuce Grow Farmstand. It’s a breeze to use, looks great in the garden, and delivers a continuous supply of fresh produce. Plus, it’s got me thinking creatively about how to grow indoors—without missing a beat during the colder months.

Stay tuned for more updates on my indoor growing project!

This time around, I decided to step it up with some vibrant additions to my small container veggies for table decor. I’ve planted pink amaranth, purple mustard, rhubarb, and even white corn. Each of these plants brings a unique pop of color, and their eye appeal has been incredible!

The pink amaranth has this stunning magenta hue that instantly catches the eye. The purple mustard’s rich, deep color adds a bold contrast to the greens on the table, and the rhubarb’s sturdy red stems bring a rustic, earthy charm to the whole arrangement. But the real showstopper has been the white corn—it’s starting to outgrow its container, and now, an ear is forming! I never expected the corn to do so well, but it’s been a wonderful surprise, adding height and a striking visual element to the table.

What’s been really exciting is how well this idea has been received by guests. I've even seen posts about it popping up on social media, with people sharing photos and asking me about how I came up with the idea. It’s great to see others getting inspired by these container-grown veggies—not only do they make beautiful decor, but they’re also functional, giving us fresh produce straight from the table.

I think what makes this idea so appealing is how it blends style and sustainability. Guests love the thought of picking fresh greens or an herb garnish right from the table. It sparks conversation, adds a personal touch, and connects people to the food they’re enjoying in a unique way.

My pepper plants have been thriving this year in my ebb and flow system. After weeks of care, they were filling out beautifully, and the fruits were ripening in abundance. I was so excited to see the progress—black cobra peppers, super khi peppers, trinidad’s and carolina reapers, all heavy with fruit. Then, out of nowhere, a windy night swept through, breaking down some of the heavily fruited branches.

I wasn’t sure what to do at first. The peppers were still half-ripened, and while the season was coming to an end, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration. However, as I looked around my garden, I saw the solution right there: cucumbers! My Kratky cucumbers, growing in a 40-gallon trash can setup, had been producing steadily all summer long. With an abundance of cucumbers and now these semi-ripe peppers, the idea struck me—why not pickle them?

Pickling has always been a great way to preserve the harvest, and it’s a technique as old as time. Early civilizations discovered pickling as a way to store food for long periods, particularly during seasons when fresh produce wasn’t available. It’s also incredibly simple—using a basic brine of vinegar, water, and salt, you can pickle just about anything! I added garlic, oregano, and a few spices to bring out the flavors, and before I knew it, I had a batch of pickled cucumbers and peppers.

It’s funny how life works sometimes. You plan, nurture, and hope for everything to go as intended, but nature has its way of reminding you that you’re not in full control. But maybe that’s the beauty of it. That broken branch didn’t mean the end of my pepper harvest. Instead, it pushed me to try something new, to make the most out of what I had.

There’s an old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” But for me, this season, it’s more like, “When life gives you broken pepper branches, make pickles!” It’s a reminder that life’s setbacks can sometimes lead to unexpected joys, and often, the best way forward is to embrace the change and adapt.

This week marked a significant milestone in my gardening journey—I harvested my very first Ambrosia melons. Growing melons has always been something I’ve wanted to try, and seeing these beauties come to life has been incredibly rewarding. I decided to grow them using an outdoor hydroponic setup, using Masterblend nutrients in a 35-gallon drum. Here’s a bit about the process and what I learned along the way.

I started with a melon seedling I bought from the nursery. One thing I’ve noticed when buying seedlings is that many times, multiple plants are crowded into a single pot. This can sometimes lead to poor growth when transplanted because the plants end up competing for nutrients. To avoid this, I carefully separated the seedlings into three different net pots, all within the same drum. This setup allowed each vine its own space to grow while sharing the nutrient reservoir.

In traditional melon farming, growers often prune the vines to concentrate the plant’s energy on a single fruit, resulting in larger, sweeter melons. However, I decided to let all three vines do their thing without much pruning. I knew I’d be refilling the drum with nutrients as needed, so I wasn’t too worried about spreading the plant’s energy thin. This approach resulted in about 10 melons forming on the vines. Watching them grow over the weeks was exciting, but figuring out when to harvest was a bit of a guessing game.

Today, I noticed one of the melons had fallen off the vine—a good indication it was ready to be picked. So, I decided to harvest the ones that looked and felt ripe. They had a sweet fragrance, and the skin had a slight give when pressed—signs that they were ready to be enjoyed.

A Bit About Ambrosia Melons

Ambrosia melons are a hybrid variety of cantaloupe known for their exceptionally sweet, aromatic flesh. These melons have a creamy texture and a flavor that’s often described as honey-like. Originating from Japan, Ambrosia melons are prized for their taste and have become a popular choice for home gardeners and specialty growers alike. They’re typically smaller than regular cantaloupes but pack a punch in terms of flavor and sweetness.

Unlike factory-farmed melons, which are often grown for uniformity, size, and durability for shipping, Ambrosia melons are grown for taste. Commercially grown melons are usually bred to withstand long-distance transportation and are often picked before they reach peak ripeness. This can sometimes result in less flavorful fruit by the time it reaches the consumer. Growing my own allowed me to harvest the melons at their absolute best—fully ripe and bursting with flavor.

Lessons Learned

Growing my own melons has been an amazing learning experience. The outdoor hydroponic setup worked beautifully, providing the plants with consistent nutrients and water. Splitting the seedlings into separate net pots helped them thrive without competing for resources, and while I didn’t prune the vines as recommended, I’m happy with the number of melons that developed.

I’m looking forward to cutting into these Ambrosia melons and sharing them with family and friends. There’s something incredibly satisfying about enjoying fruit that you’ve grown yourself. Plus, the flavor is unmatched compared to store-bought melons.

If you’ve ever considered growing your own melons, I highly recommend giving it a try. The process is rewarding, and the taste of a freshly harvested melon makes all the effort worth it.

There’s something deeply satisfying about growing your own food, especially when it’s packed with the fiery flavors of homegrown peppers. This season, my hydroponic garden delivered a bountiful mix of peppers and tomatillos, and I decided to channel that harvest into a batch of homemade fermented hot sauce. If you love the idea of turning fresh ingredients into something with a punch, this one’s for you.

The Ingredients

For this batch, I used:

Black Cobra Peppers: These pack a serious punch.

Super Khi Peppers: Another layer of heat with a unique flavor profile.

F1 Mimi Red Peppers: To balance the heat with a touch of sweetness.

Tomatillos: For that tangy base.

Garlic: Because what’s a hot sauce without garlic?

Fresh Italian Oregano: Adds a fragrant, herbal note to the mix.

The Fermentation Process

Fermenting your peppers is what gives hot sauce that complex, deep flavor that you can’t get from a quick blend. Here’s how I did it:

Prepare Your Ingredients:

Chop up the black cobra, super khi, and F1 mimi red peppers, along with the tomatillos and garlic.

Place them into a mason jar, leaving about an inch of space at the top.

Brine Solution:

Mix a basic brine solution using 3% sea salt by weight. Make sure the salt is fully dissolved in water.

Pour the brine over the peppers and tomatillos in the jar, making sure everything is fully submerged.

Airlock Setup:

I used a 3D-printed lid as an airlock for the mason jar. This allows gases to escape during fermentation without letting air in, preventing mold.

Secure the lid and place the jar in a cool, dark place for about two weeks.

Blending and Finishing

After two weeks, the peppers are ready for the next step:

Blending:

Remove the fermented peppers, tomatillos, and garlic from the jar and blend them with some of the brine. Adjust the amount of brine depending on the consistency you prefer for your sauce.

Run the blended mixture through a sieve to separate the liquid from the pulp.

Dry Spicy Pepper Seasoning:

Don’t throw away that pulp! I dehydrated it and then blended it into a fine powder to make a dry, spicy pepper seasoning.

The Result

The hot sauce turned out fantastic—spicy, tangy, with just the right amount of sweetness and depth of flavor. The dried pepper seasoning is a great addition to everything from popcorn to scrambled eggs.

Creating your own hot sauce is a great way to preserve your garden’s bounty and adds a personal touch to your meals. Plus, there’s nothing like the satisfaction of making something from scratch that’s bursting with the flavors you’ve nurtured from seed to sauce.

Harvesting Suyo Long Cucumber: From Decor to Delicious Summer Salad

Hello and welcome back to Just Facilitating Life! Today, I’m excited to share a delightful journey from garden to table. We’ll be harvesting a Suyo Long cucumber that has been gracing our restaurant’s decor and turning it into a refreshing cucumber salad, perfect for a hot summer day.

The History of Suyo Long Cucumber

Cucumbers were first domesticated in India over 3,000 years ago from a spined, bitter wild ancestor. The Suyo Long cucumber, believed to have been cultivated in China as early as 100 BCE, retains the spiny skin of its wild progenitor. This resilient variety thrives under heatwave and drought stress, producing multiple rounds of fruits.

Growing the Suyo Long Cucumber

I planted the Suyo Long cucumber about eight weeks ago from seed. Once it sprouted, I moved it into a Kratky jar, and at around four weeks, transferred it to a one-gallon bucket from Daiso, drilling a two-inch hole in the lid and placing the plant in a two-inch net pot. I set the nutrient solution to an EC of 2.3 and a pH of 6.0, ensuring optimal growth. It served as charming decor in our restaurant, perfectly aligning with our farm-to-table ethos.

Harvesting and Creating a Refreshing Salad

Today, I discovered a six-inch cucumber, perfect for a light summer dish. Given the hot weather, a cucumber salad was an ideal choice.

Ingredients:

1 Suyo Long cucumber

Salt

Lemon juice

Julianne watermelon radish (quick pickled)

Fresh cilantro

Asian microgreens

Pomegranate seeds

Instructions:

Prepare the Cucumber: Peel and cut the cucumber into sections, then lightly salt it.

Pickle the Radish: Quick pickle julienned watermelon radish.

Combine Ingredients: Mix the cucumber, pickled radish, and fresh cilantro.

Garnish and Serve: Top with Asian microgreens and pomegranate seeds.

The result is a perfect mix of flavors, ideal for a hot day.

Final Thoughts

Enjoying a dish made from produce you’ve grown yourself is incredibly satisfying. The Suyo Long cucumber adds a refreshing twist to this salad, making it a perfect summer treat. Stay tuned for more stories, tips, and recipes from my hydroponic gardening journey.