Ladies and gentlemen, the first produce of the season, and appropriately around the same time of year I used to start the garden in the past. Thanks to mr. jeavons and the almighty we had a nice salad with dinner that traveled exactly 0 food miles. My wife remarked that she had never had lettuce so fresh....get used to it hon.
And for those who are part of the growing challenge, this was from seed so I guess I met the goal...but I'm not stopping here.
By the way thats green salad bowl leaf lettuce, a head of tom thumb lettuce, and my bahco pruning knife which works great for reaching under the head and cutting. I usually leave the roots in the ground when I harvest a plant, what about you?
5 comments:
My lettuce seedlings are still decomposing in their peat pots. lol. I'm giving up on things like lettuce and greens for now. At least until next year. Everything just grows so slow! I have cucumber plants in bottoms of my bottle greenhouses with the lids off and they aren't getting much bigger. I aldready have one in the ground (it's so pathetic looking on it's own).
It's been at most, a week and a half since I put it in the newly worked ground and there is only one teeny tiny new leaf forming. AHHH! *rips hair out* I'm using some kind of fertilizer next year. lol. It's weird how food plants need all these nutrients in southern Californian soil yet things like english ivy thrive in the poorest soil ever! It makes me mad and it's so deceiving.
try a product called terracycle, its liquified worm poop that comes in recycled soda bottles. Try growing your greens in partial or total shade.
Yes, I leave the roots in the ground, it's excellent compost. Also, I try to harvest so that the plant continues to produce but I think this depends on the type of lettuce maybe? Last year I kept the buttercrunch going right into fall, let it go to seed and now have volunteers popping up in the strangest places!
CONGRATULATIONS, KORY! It is truly amazing to me how different salad greens taste when they come straight from the garden. Now that we've moved and are buying greens from the farmer's market, my *love* has salad as returned to just a like of salad - it lacks that depth of flavor. I'm still working on amending our new soil & haven't even planted the greens yet!! A yummy salad is still so far away... : (
I'm glad you're not stopping there!!
As far as harvesting goes, we usually harvest leaf by leaf so the heads continue to produce throughout the season. When you leave the roots in the ground, does it come again?
The head lettuce is a one shot deal, I lop if off just above the dirt. The leaf lettuce I gave a buzzcut to, I left an inch of the core and a few outer leaves (with chew holes in them) intact New leaves are already coming up in the center.
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