Styrofoam boxes work for me and they have the advantage of keeping roots nice and cool. A local deli will no doubt get smoked fish (salmon, trout etc) and these usually come in nice deep styrofoam jobbies.
Just my thoughts.

I am using styrofoam boxes for basil, coriander and other herbs, also for strawberries and soft leafed lettuce and other greens. Rocket can be controlled in them instead of going wild and they are great foir English spinach. We have stuff growing in the greenhouse and various locations around the yard. No problems except they get heavy to move when wet if you put plenty mix in them. I'm assured the foam is inert, and it's easy to take the best screwdriver in the workshop and gouge holes in the bottom ( how was I supposed to know!) I got mine for $2 each at the veggie shed and $1.50 at the fish shop. I use the lids as shades behind pots as they reflect the sun away keepin the pots cooler. I just join them with packing tape to as long a length as I need. Way to go! You can fill them with concrete and build retaining walls or edges too! I'm trying to find a way to seal them for a stepped water course to grow watercress.
Cheers
Linda

Thankyou both. I'm heading out to get some now and more pot'n'peat for my addiction.

I get some of my styro boxes free from a fish and chip shop. They get their fish and seafood delivered in them. Many of them are deeper than broccolli boxes but don't have holes (easy fixed) and have lids which I use underneath as a drip tray.

If you are handy with a hammer, make up some nice wooden trough planters using fence palings, etc. I grew strawberries in one for a while.

Not that easy finding foam boxes in a big city, but paid $1 each at the third fruit and veg I visiteed this arvo. Broc' boxes. Already planted out two: one with rocket, the other with royal oakleaf seeds topped with a fine layer of seed-raising mix. Two more to go. Going to make a lettuce seed mix and then put mescalun in the last one. Should be enough salad for two with some herbs and parsley. Thanks for the inspiration.

Also got more pot'n'peat, 10 x 8ft hardwood stakes, bale of sugarcane mulch, hose fitting. Planted out the last of the toms in pots, too. All out of seaweed mix now. But the scene is pretty much set for some serious harvesting :)

Found some corn salad seeds, too. They're weird. Like mini popcorn. Never tried them before.

Corn salad is a great winter salad green. It doesn't like the heat much. It was the first of the salad greens available in late winter/early spring in France. It's second only to kale in it's frost hardiness!
I like it. It's got a lovely soft texture. The flavour is very mild and is great mixed with stronger, more bitter/peppery greens.

We have plenty of room but the summers are too hot to grow salad lettuce so I have some in the orchid house happily growing in foam containers..
I only had the shorter ones so used them.
{{gwi:2116770}}

Sounds like you're on a winner. Another thought is 10 and 20 litre containers from....Bakeries. Most will give them to you, some will try to charge you. The small operators are best. Far more giving. They use 'em for Confectioners Fondant, etc.
The 20 litre jobs can grow carrots even , and Parsnips etc. But great for salad. And they have handles, so you can transport them.

Whoops! Seems I have sown corn salad at the wrong time of year. Oh, well, I suppose it will bolt to seed. Might get to taste a few leaves in the meantime.

Thanks for the pic Ash. They look to be well on their way. I see you have quite a lot of projects on the go. Can't quite read the labels, but I'm hoping you have some tomatoes in somewhere :)

If you have any corn salad left over Grub, you could try sowing some after the solstice (21/12?). It may not bolt too quickly with the subsequent shortening days. I've got some summer cabbage I want to try but I'll hang back till after the longest day.

Came back from the fruit&veg shop today - with another foam box. Must sow more lettuce - thanks for reminding me, Grub.

So, what lettuce would grow best in a hot summer?

Spatzola,
Royal Oakleaf for sure. Goldrush. Aussie Giant Yellow or some such thing. First salad bar last summer had these three and they weren't prone to bolting for me. Cut and come again or loose leaf types. I think heading varieties might be harder to grow in summer.

Good grief Ray, give us a break ..........we've only just had the Spring solstice and you are talking about MidSummer and shortening days.:))

Cathy

You're all obsessed. We're still on the verge of FROST up here. Really, it was 8 last night with a wind chill of 7. '
That makes it one degree of warmth. Tha Anna Russian had a film of ice.

I thought it was cool when the last couple of nights got down to 15/16C. I'm glad I live up here. When I was in Inverell the coldest I remembered was -9C.

Like Spatz I'm also looking for a lettuce to grow in foam boxes that will do well in Melbourne during the summer.

Anyone got any ideas?

Cathy

Melbourne Climate is a bit like NW Tassie in summer - try any of the oak leaf lettuces, both red and green, also the butter lettuce, soft leafed - if you grow them fast and give them a bit of shade they come on really quickly, a sprinkle of Epsom Salts to get them started. I can't go past Cos both red Cos and Green -I grow them with plenty foliar nutrient and water and they will grow good hearts. The only ones I'd avoid are iceberg types which require too much water at that time of year and are subject to heart rot. Cheers
Linda

One of the things I enjoy about this forum is that you're always learning new bits and pieces. I have some iceberg type lettuces in and one just rotted. We did have a spell of hot weather. The others hadn't started hearting and were okay. Heat rot! Thanks Linda.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Must sow some lettuce soon. :)

Foam boxes are great for potatoes, too.

Talking foam boxes I had this idea - thought I'd run it past you guys before I waste any time on it. Here's how it goes. Waterproof the boxes ( I think PVA glue might do the trick, then paint the outsides with faux concrete looking stuff. place around the vege beds, stuck together with something and fill with rubble, pebbles, blue metal whatever. Topped with a platform of cement to form a sill. This effectively would give an organically friendly garden edge that might be strong enough to perch on while weeding, planting etc. It would be cheaper than getting hardwood. Any helpful comments? I think I'm a little genius but Bob thinks I try to make work for him just so he can't watch the cricket. The main thing I'd be concerned with would be the durability of the finished product, but I guess it could also be bagged o rendered. More work heehee....
Linda

I grow it in boxes just outside the kitchen it works well.
JWB
{{gwi:2116771}}

I bought a packet of salad seeds containing spinach, corn salad, mizuna, rocket etc. Mizuna and corn salad grew very well through winter and went to seed.

They seem very much like mustard in the way the pods formed. Saved quite a few pods, got the seeds and have some Mizuna growing now.....coping ok with the very warm sun. Should I put some Corn salad in now or will the sun be too harsh this time of year?

Looking good Jan. The foam boxes are a handy solution, I've just discovered.

RL,
Raymondo reckons  and I guess he should know as Corn Salad in popular in France where I understand he's lived  that it's a better cool season crop. And my web research seems to reveal as much.

So one supposes I should have sown mine in April or something. I'm expecting it to bolt to seed. No harm trying, though, as I've had cool-season crops like Rocket not bolt when grown in dappled light.

Good luck :)grub

Nice little salad garden Jan Willem.
rlme, Mizuna is a mustard, just a very mild one. It's also one of the Brassica's (cabbage etc.) and they all set pods like that. You can eat the young pods in stir fries or even salads.
Linda, how about papercrete bricks. Mix concrete and shredded paper, add some nice oxides for colour and hey presto, a very light brick. Being light you can make them much larger than house bricks. Foam boxes might make an excellent mold. There are lots of recipes on the web for making and using papercrete. Here's a link to just one of many - papercrete. It's also relatively cheap as one bag of cement can go a long way.

Just got back from Bunnings - didn't buy the rotary tiller as Bob reckoned he'd rather dig than pay $750; but I did score a nice patio heater to go with my Pinot Gris this summer. Talked to the sealant and paint fellows who gathered round in discussion and the outcome of the meeting was that water based outdoor paint should do the job - offered me a free tin of Mission Brown which I politely refused and sent me to the water feature department, hahah. Patronising b....s So it may be a simple thing after all. I will check that option for garden edges - it sounds interesting. Thanks for the link . I have the watercress run design in mind, should cost about $6 plus free labour! I also checked the plastic stake situation. Bunnings have 1.8 m steel stakes that are covered in PVC that look quite swishy, but not tall enough I suspect. They are $11 for 5 - similar wooden ones are $10 for 10. There were some 2.5 m ones at $5 each which I reckon puts them out of range. Now for a nice cold Viogniere........
Cheers
Linda