Ok, was just sorting through my lettuce seed....
Heres the pitch!
Or is that my lineup, whats yours?
Gourmet salad greens
Esmeralda head lettuce
Bonvivant Spicy leaf
Red Sails leaf
Arugula Rocket
Green Salad Bowl
Micro greens
Simpsons curled
Great Lakes #18
Grand Rapids leaf
Leaf lettuce - buttercrunch
Head lettuce - NOID
Most of these I have not tried and some I have no clue as to what they are! But anyway, I will try a few of them.
Among others:
Pom Pom (loose-leaf)
Druken Woman Frizzy Headed (butterhead)
de Morges Braun (romaine/cos)
Italienischer (loose-leaf)
Victoria (butterhead)
Petite Rouge (romaine)
Maraville de Verano Canasta (not sure but I'll eat it)
Bionda Ortolani (romaine)
Gentilina
YUGOSLAVIAN RED
and Deer Tongue
I ordered some wild ones this year! Should be fund to see which works out.
I am doing various mesclun mixes this year.
One that intrigued me was a Philosopher's mix which is described as a mix of all the colors and forms you can find in romaine (cos) lettuce.
How does one do micro greens???
CLScott, LOL, that Philosopher's mix sounds like a hoot. I don't know why I always think lettuce probably the most fun! =~). Does one just scatter the various seeds or can a specific patern be planted? Either way seem cool with me.
Mine is the same from last fall. I'll have to find my list and post it for you.
I think there is a differentiation between micro greens and mesclun mixes.
I think ,but could be wrong, that micro greens are just almost like sprouted seeds.
Mesclun is greens which are grown to 2 or 3 inches tall and cut off for use and allowed to regrow.
I just scatter seed them often in pots or planter boxes.
The philosopher's mix is originally from an Oregon lettuce breeder: Frank Morton.
I also ordered his Morton Mix which is supposed to include new lettuce varieties.
Well, I must be behind the times or something, first I ever heard of micro greens. Ive done sprouts, but not these and got a packet in on trade.
I am trying to grow some radish indoors. Someone said to put the salad greeds in a flat and grow them indoors....so ok, maybe after the radish experiment I will try doing the greens in the aquarium for jollies!
Microgreens you grow till the first set of true leaves come on them, then you cut them off at the soil line with scissors, or pull them up and wash the dirt off the roots. They're very nutritious.
ok, microgreens, just another fancy word for baby salad.. OY! What will they think of next.. LOL!
Well my radish germinated in the aquarium...!
I guess I've grown microgreens but just didn't know it! Didn't know I was so fancy =~)! Lettuce is so fun!
Blossombuddy, glad to hear about your Aqua-radish. It is an interesting trial and I am enjoying reading about it. Perhaps it will have telepathic superpowers ala AquaMan! =:~o
ROTFL!! If it gains any telepathic super powers we will have to put it in the anatomy thread for brains!
We gardeners are a crazy lot, gotta play in the dirt all the time to entertain our selfs yano!
The raddish is on dya 2.5... if I get eats I will be shocked! 25 days and counting! Then Im gonna try lettuce in there! LOL! Put those lil head jobbers in there.
I was busy today trying deperately to complete my bed for my leafy greens. It's 4'x 10' x 6". As far as lettuce goes, I will be planting:
Summer glory
Red Sails
Majesty
Calmar
I bought all the seeds from Park's. I have some of the "summer glory" WS'd in milk jugs and they're looking good so far, but I am not sure when to transplant, though. I'll have red giant mustard and swiss chard plants in this bed as well (from a local nursery.) I also need to WS spinach soon.
This message was edited Jan 16, 2010 7:33 PM
New Red Fire (Pinetree)
Bughatti (Pinetree)
Red Cross (Johnny's)
Green Towers (Park)
These are the ones I come back to each year. They germinate well, are slow to bolt, and seem to not be eaten by slugs.
NICE BED JOHN!!!
Veeeeeeeeeeeeery nice bed, John!
You got a barrier between that good-lookin' fence and the flowerbed against it?
Only asking 'cause my DH went on a tantrum when I put the compost pile back where it was after he put up our new fence. He insisted there needed to be a barrier between the back of the compost pile and his fence. Said something about an air pocket to keep the fence from rotting...So He stuck a plywood board behind the compost pile giving him a 6" space between it and the fence.
You got a good-lookin' fence, too.
Did you put cardboard on the ground underneath that new lettuce bed? Chuck in some compost, and the worms will till up the rest for you.
Thanks, BB and Gymgirl. My fences are fairly new partly due to Ike, but they were old and falling apart as it was.
The funny thing is that I decided to put old fence boards and spare lumber between my beds and the fence to act as a barrier, but it was something that I thought of last-minute. I built the "fence bed" last summer, I believe. Luckily, I foresaw the possibility of the base boards rotting prematurely if I exposed them to wet soil. Not sure what to plant, though. Oh- and I thought about putting card board down on the ground but didn't do it because I did not think it would "break down" in time.
As far as the other bed goes, I planted my swiss chard and red giant mustard "cheater" plants...wow, so much left to do...
I was WS'ing like crazy today as well...more of that on the WS forum whenever I post it later.
Has anyone tried "Esmeralda"? I have a packet of it from a trade and am not sure, but I think its a head lettuce? Dont know anything about it and was wondering if it could be sown indoors, then transplanted?
How soon a jump indoors? Or is this one specifically a direct sow?
I've tried many kinds of lettuce both here and in England; but this year I've settled on just Salad Bowl and Bronze Arrow, both 'cut and come again'. The latter is an heirloom variety; the hardiest and quickest maturing I've ever come across. Very slow to bolt, tastes fine, but slugs don't seem keen on it. It's not commercially available in Europe. I get my seed from the Heritage Seed Library.
Pat
Welcome Pat, thank you for your knowledge! Soounds like a good lettuce!
Blossombuddy, that Esmeralda is a really nice and quite large at maturity butterhead variety. I grow over 50 different lettuce varieties every year and I do start a lot of them indoors under lights. Start them about 3 weeks to a month before transplanting outdoors. Once lettuce seedlings have been hardened off, they'll stand temps. as low as 20 degrees or so. My all time favorite? A French Crisp Batavian called Sierra.
Awesome lettuceman! I was wondering how large this esmeralda head was going to get. I was actually hoping it ws one of those little guys since I have a ton of seed of it!
So ok, I can start it indoors right? Then transplant it?
We've enjoyed having various types of lettuces this winter. It's been fun for us, too!
Stephanie- this is my 1st time growing lettuce. I WS'd various lettuce seeds recenly, plus I direct-sowed a 5' x 1' area of "summer glory" yesterday.
When do you get started?
Oh, dear! Now you've all got me digging through the seeds piles - ummmm! fresh lettuce. This is the first year I didn't grow it through the fall and winter on my east facing windowsill. We had such a dismal season last year that my gardening enthusiasm waned. I'm beginning to feel the itch, though, and think I'll have to get started on some sprouts and lettuce this weekend...
Lettuceman & Steph et al,
I need a lettuce recommendation.
Last winter I grew Flashy's Speckled Trout lettuce, and did NOT like it. It tasted slimey and was not crunchy at all. My favorite lettuces are the Romaine and Red Tips (green tips) you can buy at the local supermarket. I guess I like hard, crunchy, stiff lettuces.
With that said, please look at this list of seeds I have for sowing and tell me which ones are closest to the types I described above.
*WEBBS WONDERFUL-large hearted, frilly leafed, dark green, adaptable, bolt resistant.
*BUTTERCRUNCH-a small lettuce, fast maturing, with very green outer leaves enclosing a small, compact, fully blanched, sweet, crisp and tender heart-almost crisphead-like. It has very good flavor.Bolt resistant.
LITTLE GEM syn 'Sucrine'a very small cos that has some elements of the butterhead in it. The approx 15cm tall plants have tightly folded outer leaves over a compact and dense interior. It is sweet and quick maturing.
PARIS WHITE The standard main season Cos. The large plants are about 20-25cm tall, cylindrical and upright.The light green slightly savoyed outer leaves are tightly self folded over the white blanched heart. Matures after 'Rouge d'Hiver'.
Thanks!
Linda
I grow so many different kinds of lettuces that I'm genuinely surprised that I don't know about that Webb's Wonderful variety. Buttercrunch is a fine lettuce, but too small to suit me. Little Gem is a good romaine, but again, it's too small. The Paris White is an excellent choice for a romaine. All you readers, don't confuse this cultivar with the Parris Island romaine--two different critters! Again, for crunch, taste and beauty, it's hard to beat that French Crisp Sierra
Lettuceman,
I'm gonna winter sow my lettuce seeds in milk jugs outside. Do I need to do anything particularly different than sprinkling the seeds on top of the potting mix, closing up the jug, sitting outside in a bright spot, and then separating the seedlings for transplanting after they get a 2nd set of true leaves?
I was lucky to get some rare Slyvias, so those are pretty much what I will be doing + the following>
Bibb/Butterhead:
Four Season
Burpee Bibb
WinterKing
Leaf:
Black Seeded Simpson
Simpson Elite (my favorite leaf)
Green Ice (it truly is!)
Ruby
Romaine:
Vivian and Slyvia!
My least favorite lettuce is also my favorite...
The Burpee Bibb I planted 3 years ago (just 50, honest!) has now grown into a colonly of 15,00+ plants and increases every Spring! The only good thing about them is they are "fruiting" when I am just seeing other lettuces (that I planted) sprouting;o)
~Daniel
P.S. I will also be doing a 'Italian' Mesculn, if that counts as a lettuce.
Mesclun is a mix of lettuce and other greens.
Stokes packages them separately so you get a packet of mixed lettuce seeds and a packet of the other greens seeds when you order mesclun mixes from them.
Most seed companies mix them all together.
Gymgirl, your milk jug system sounds good to me. Just remember to keep the seeds and soil moist. Which variety will you be starting? A cos variety called "Freckles" does really well for me in my greenhouse beds to start the season.
Lettuceman,
I really like the hard, crisp, Romaine types. I asked ya'll to look at my list and advise which ones fit the bill, cause I've only grown Flashy's Speckled Trout lettuce which I didn't like at all. Too soft and slimey tasting!
The cos variety I'm growing right now, Parris Island would work for you. It looks a lot like Romaine.
Buttercrunch is a nice firm lettuce.
You wouldn't like Black Seeded Simpson. It would be too slimy for you. LOL
I have pics of all the lettuces I'm growing right now on my blog so you can see what they look like. Take a gander at them. http://haphazardgardener.blogspot.com/
Here's Parris Island in the background.
Oooh thanks for the heads up on the Simpson.. I think I will offer my seed for trade.. anyone want it D-mail me!
Im not into willty lettuce...I like sweet crisps
Course I could always seed the chicken run with it! They might enjoy it!
The Simpson has a good flavor, but it just looks so limp and pathetic out in the garden. LOL
Does not change much then to the bowl! LOL! Course it would make for a good wilty salad with vinegrette!, crotons, parmasan cheese...maters and and and! LOL!
Steph - what's in the front? lovely photo, btw!
I think it's endive, if I remember correctly without checking my map.
The one on the left looks like endive, but the one on right looks like a lettuce I grew in a mix a couple of years ago. It came back last season and I loved it, but can't find anywhere in my notes where I named it. Hoped you'd be able to help me out!
Your photo looks absolutely edible. It's motivating!
