David Hare-Scott wrote:
songbird wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:
...
How would your lettuce be holding up?

bolting for the sky or getting bitter and
tough?


Or just wilting and not growing.

that too.


i'm actually very little experienced with
lettuces here so i'm curious as to how to grow
good lettuce (especially romaine). we have
a variety of gardens to pick from with different
soils, but i suspect one which is inside the
fenced garden will be critical with the critter
populations...

how to keep it from getting bitter? does it
like mulch? soil conditions? pH? amendments?
in most cases i won't be able to do much but for
a small garden i can usually make an exception.

moisture level? constant? somewhat moist?
medium? somewhat dry?

sluggos and snailses usually aren't a horrible
problem here.

I recommend constant somewhat moist conditions including heavy mulch. I
have not found that pH or the exact nutrient balance makes any difference
but moderately fertile soil that keeps growth going steadily is best.

are you direct seeding or sprouting separately and then
putting the plants out after they've grown a bit?

i have plenty of soil of that type, to protect from critters
most of it is also in the fenced gardens so that will help.

mulch is sometimes harder to come by at the right times as
i rely upon someone else for that and store very little of it.
it gets used up quickly with as many gardens as we have.


I
give up on lettuce during our hot months as with all the mulch and watering
they still bolt. Perhaps I should be experimenting with shade cloth too.
If anybody had a good article on why exactly they bolt I am interested. It
seems to be related to soil temperature more than air temperature but I am
not certain.

i'm not certain either, but it is what the plant must do to
set seed for the next generation. i think one approach to leafy
greens in general to avoid all of them bolting at the same general
time is to plant biannuals like some of the chards, leafy cabbages,
etc. it's not lettuce exactly, but it is close enough.

for my own enjoyment i'm hoping to find some leafy cabbage like
plants that i can just pick and eat as i'm out in the gardens.
that way i avoid the primary complaint of Ma that she doesn't
want the smell of them cooking and i like them raw well enough
too so that will be another approach this year for me to get
more greens going here. perhaps bok choi and some of the
others will work too. worth a try that is for sure.


songbird