Petite Rouge Lettuce From Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Rocky Top Lettuce Mix from Baker Creek
I really need to do some thinning. . .
. . .A Lot Of Thinning
Realization Of The Day: 150% germination rate is obviously possible.
These lettuces (along with some Tom Thumb seeds from Pinetree) were direct seeded in one of my raised beds back on February 28th. They had a bit of a slow start due to the cold (and the fact that I didn't bother covering the mini greenhouse frame with plastic this year--see the comments section in this post for more on the mini greenhouses), but the main reason they are still so small is because they are simply too close together. They need to be seriously thinned, which just means pulling out some of the plants to give the others enough space to mature. Believe it or not, I did thin this plot once already.
The delicate little plants are big enough to eat--so tonight I will dine on a miniscule micro mesclun salad. But if I'd thinned these seedlings a week or two ago, there would be lots more lettuce to go around. Besides bonus baby greens, another advantage to sowing lettuce seeds so thickly is that there is no space left for pesky little weeds to pop up.
More on starting some salad greens hopefully tomorrow (to those of you who have been patiently waiting, I thank you). And the spring garlic planting info is coming up, too. If you don't have any nice heads of garlic hanging around, go out and find some. The planting days begin April 14th, and there are no excuses--you can even grow it in a pot.
Miscellaneous:
--Just spotted the first strawberry flowers (on the plants growing in the pathways around the old strawberry bed).
--I think every single onion has sprouted.
--Watered the planted raised beds today as it is 88 degrees and sunny, and everything is very dry. It was a little depressing having to water this early in the season, yet at the same I felt strangely guilty, as so many parts of the country are being deluged with unwanted rainstorms.
--Butterflies are everywhere. (Secret Tip: The easiest way to lure butterflies into the garden? Manure!)
Harvest For The Henhouse:
Thinned purple kohlrabi seedlings--slightly frostbitten but still tasty to a chicken.
how do you keep the rabbits from eating the lettuce and all your veggies. the rabbits just feast away on everything of mine.
ReplyDeleteHi Amy,
ReplyDeleteLOL, you're too sweet.
Yes, thinning is what I forgot to do, too! : )
Hi Leigh,
Well, I know we do have quite a few wild rabbits that live on the farm, but I have very little trouble with them in the garden, and I think it's mainly due to Robin. She is an ace rabbit catcher (and eater).
I can't believe with all those dogs you still have bunny raids. Perhaps you need to add a nice little beagle to your menagerie? : )
Susan,
ReplyDelete"150% germination rate is obviously possible."
Gak![spitting coffee]
Kevin
That title reminds me of a song from a bollywood movie LOL
ReplyDelete(Salam namaste) hehhe
You're lettuce makes me drool. Mine sprouted weeks ago, but I've got that "too much rain" problem going on, so they are still preeeety small...
ReplyDeleteThanks for this request answered. I will now go plant (randomly scatter) my Mesclun mix. I am scared because the temperatures are up and down here everyday. I know that little baby greens don't like the heat so this could be a crap shoot since I waited too late to work up the courage to do this. Live and learn.
ReplyDeleteI'm chuckling because everyone on this post is concerned about rabbits eating their lettuce, yet I grew it specifically for my pet rabbit and he snubbs it every time I put a bowl of it in front of him. For some reason he prefers it out of the bag.
ReplyDelete