does anyone have any experience growing red & green butter lettuce? love
the lettuce, hate the price at the market. thinking about trying to grow
some next year - not sure but i think it's too late to plant it around
here - i can't seem to find much info on growing it on the web.

thanks,
rae

hey Jan,

thanks. didn't know it would grow that quick. i will go ahead and see if
the local stores have seed for it. and yes, plenty of heat. yesterday's temp
was 96 here at the house. it's 90 now. I've never saw anything but the
standard iceburg lettuce grown locally and they plant that earlier in the
year. but i'll see how it does.
thanks for the input!

rae

"Jan Flora" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Rachael Simpson" wrote:

does anyone have any experience growing red & green butter lettuce? love
the lettuce, hate the price at the market. thinking about trying to grow
some next year - not sure but i think it's too late to plant it around
here - i can't seem to find much info on growing it on the web.

thanks,
rae

Go get some seed and plant it. I'm on the second crop of
Simpson Curled on my windowsill, planted in a little tin
washtub-shaped planter.

It grows *fast*!

If you plant a few seeds every two weeks, you'll have a
good supply of lettuce all season long.

It it's hot where you live, you can try planting lettuce in
an area that gets afternoon shade, to keep it from bolting
so quickly.

I always plant some leaf lettuce and pansies in the pots
around my front door. They look really nice together.

Jan

--
Bedouin proverb: If you have no troubles, buy a goat.

In article ,
"Rachael Simpson" wrote:

does anyone have any experience growing red & green butter lettuce? love
the lettuce, hate the price at the market. thinking about trying to grow
some next year - not sure but i think it's too late to plant it around
here - i can't seem to find much info on growing it on the web.

thanks,
rae

Go get some seed and plant it. I'm on the second crop of
Simpson Curled on my windowsill, planted in a little tin
washtub-shaped planter.

It grows *fast*!

If you plant a few seeds every two weeks, you'll have a
good supply of lettuce all season long.

It it's hot where you live, you can try planting lettuce in
an area that gets afternoon shade, to keep it from bolting
so quickly.

I always plant some leaf lettuce and pansies in the pots
around my front door. They look really nice together.

Jan

--
Bedouin proverb: If you have no troubles, buy a goat.

On Wed, 30 May 2007 16:43:31 -0400, "Rachael Simpson"
wrote:

hey Jan,

thanks. didn't know it would grow that quick. i will go ahead and see if
the local stores have seed for it. and yes, plenty of heat. yesterday's temp
was 96 here at the house. it's 90 now. I've never saw anything but the
standard iceburg lettuce grown locally and they plant that earlier in the
year. but i'll see how it does.
thanks for the input!

rae

Hey Rae, (kinda like the rhyme thing)

Jan is right. This year i noticed in the Seeds of Change catalog they
are showing light requirements for different veggies and lettuce showed
partial sun.

I experimented and planted some letuces in full sun and some in an area
that receives only about four hours of direct sun during midday and
darned if the mostly shaded lettuce wasn't better tasting, and like she
said, hasn't bolted. Like she did, I planted some in pots, old
fashioned varieties, and it has done great and looks great, with the
different colors and leaf configurations. A couple years ago we
started "landscaping" with vegetables. It is amazing how they work in
with the flowers and other areas.

Gardening is one grand experiment. Seeds are cheap, even cheaper when
you save seed. One year things may work, another not.

Have Fun
Charlie

On May 30, 9:00 pm, Charlie wrote:
On Wed, 30 May 2007 16:43:31 -0400, "Rachael Simpson"

wrote:
hey Jan,

thanks. didn't know it would grow that quick. i will go ahead and see if
the local stores have seed for it. and yes, plenty of heat. yesterday's temp
was 96 here at the house. it's 90 now. I've never saw anything but the
standard iceburg lettuce grown locally and they plant that earlier in the
year. but i'll see how it does.
thanks for the input!

rae

Hey Rae, (kinda like the rhyme thing)

Jan is right. This year i noticed in the Seeds of Change catalog they
are showing light requirements for different veggies and lettuce showed
partial sun.

I experimented and planted some letuces in full sun and some in an area
that receives only about four hours of direct sun during midday and
darned if the mostly shaded lettuce wasn't better tasting, and like she
said, hasn't bolted. Like she did, I planted some in pots, old
fashioned varieties, and it has done great and looks great, with the
different colors and leaf configurations. A couple years ago we
started "landscaping" with vegetables. It is amazing how they work in
with the flowers and other areas.

Gardening is one grand experiment. Seeds are cheap, even cheaper when
you save seed. One year things may work, another not.

Have Fun
Charlie

hey charlie,

thanks for the input.

still learning from the "masters",
rachael (rae)

humm - why does that sound familiar?? lol

Charlie wrote in :

*snip*


Hey Rae, (kinda like the rhyme thing)

Jan is right. This year i noticed in the Seeds of Change catalog they
are showing light requirements for different veggies and lettuce
showed partial sun.

I experimented and planted some letuces in full sun and some in an
area that receives only about four hours of direct sun during midday
and darned if the mostly shaded lettuce wasn't better tasting, and
like she said, hasn't bolted. Like she did, I planted some in pots,
old fashioned varieties, and it has done great and looks great, with
the different colors and leaf configurations. A couple years ago we
started "landscaping" with vegetables. It is amazing how they work in
with the flowers and other areas.

Gardening is one grand experiment. Seeds are cheap, even cheaper when
you save seed. One year things may work, another not.

Have Fun
Charlie

I'm moving my potatoes to cover my lettice then. That way, it should
only get the mid-day/evening sun rather than sun the whole day.

Speaking of experiments, my potatoes are in 5-gallon buckets since we
planned to move mid-june. We'll see how that goes, and the cost of seed
was actually less than the cost of dirt and way less than the cost of the
bucket. Acquisition is a disease, I tell ya...

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

On 31 May 2007 01:55:26 GMT, Puckdropper wrote:


I'm moving my potatoes to cover my lettice then. That way, it should
only get the mid-day/evening sun rather than sun the whole day.

Speaking of experiments, my potatoes are in 5-gallon buckets since we
planned to move mid-june. We'll see how that goes, and the cost of seed
was actually less than the cost of dirt and way less than the cost of the
bucket. Acquisition is a disease, I tell ya...

Puckdropper

Sounds like you might be interested in a book by John Jeavons,
"How to Grow More Vegetables..". It is about biointensive gardening,
here's a primer of sorts.

http://www.growbiointensive.org/grow_start.html

This is my ultimate goal, as my space is so limited, and it just seems
like the right thing to be doing.

I like the tater idea and will definitely try that next year. I too
move pots around and shade stuff.

Yeah, I know what you mean about the acquisition thing! It is a
*major* source of contention with the missus. The town I live in has a
twice yearly town cleanup, where you can put most anything out to be
hauled off for free. It is friggin' *great*. For four days people are
running all over town cabagging onto other peoples castoffs, before the
haulers show up. Talk about bein' a Creeping Charlie!

This year I liberated a bunch of stuff that I cabbaged last year, plus
a bunch of other stuff, and hauled home a huge bunch of flower pots and
a perfectly good weber keetle to join the other kettle and its three
other grilling/smoking friends. I didn't gain any storage space. Most
of the stuff I put out disappeared before the haulers got there.

i am always on the lookout for buckets!

BTW Puckdropper, I have *never* heard of anyone liking their garden so
much they take it with them when they move! That is love!

Take care, it's an illness, I tell ye!
Charlie

In article , Charlie wrote:

On Wed, 30 May 2007 16:43:31 -0400, "Rachael Simpson"
wrote:

hey Jan,

thanks. didn't know it would grow that quick. i will go ahead and see if
the local stores have seed for it. and yes, plenty of heat. yesterday's temp
was 96 here at the house. it's 90 now. I've never saw anything but the
standard iceburg lettuce grown locally and they plant that earlier in the
year. but i'll see how it does.
thanks for the input!

rae

Hey Rae, (kinda like the rhyme thing)

Jan is right. This year i noticed in the Seeds of Change catalog they
are showing light requirements for different veggies and lettuce showed
partial sun.

I experimented and planted some letuces in full sun and some in an area
that receives only about four hours of direct sun during midday and
darned if the mostly shaded lettuce wasn't better tasting, and like she
said, hasn't bolted. Like she did, I planted some in pots, old
fashioned varieties, and it has done great and looks great, with the
different colors and leaf configurations. A couple years ago we
started "landscaping" with vegetables. It is amazing how they work in
with the flowers and other areas.

Gardening is one grand experiment. Seeds are cheap, even cheaper when
you save seed. One year things may work, another not.

Have Fun
Charlie

Other neat veggies for Edible Landscaping are Russian Kale
and Bright Lights swiss chard. Both are gorgeous plants and
really tasty. The best part about the Kale is that deer won't
eat it, and it takes snow heavy enough to physically break
the plant down to kill it. (It tastes better after a few frosts
anyway.)

Seeds of Change puts out a beautiful catalog!

Jan

--
Bedouin proverb: If you have no troubles, buy a goat.

"Jan Flora" wrote in message
...
In article , Charlie wrote:

On Wed, 30 May 2007 16:43:31 -0400, "Rachael Simpson"
wrote:

hey Jan,

thanks. didn't know it would grow that quick. i will go ahead and see
if
the local stores have seed for it. and yes, plenty of heat. yesterday's
temp
was 96 here at the house. it's 90 now. I've never saw anything but the
standard iceburg lettuce grown locally and they plant that earlier in
the
year. but i'll see how it does.
thanks for the input!

rae

Hey Rae, (kinda like the rhyme thing)

Jan is right. This year i noticed in the Seeds of Change catalog they
are showing light requirements for different veggies and lettuce showed
partial sun.

I experimented and planted some letuces in full sun and some in an area
that receives only about four hours of direct sun during midday and
darned if the mostly shaded lettuce wasn't better tasting, and like she
said, hasn't bolted. Like she did, I planted some in pots, old
fashioned varieties, and it has done great and looks great, with the
different colors and leaf configurations. A couple years ago we
started "landscaping" with vegetables. It is amazing how they work in
with the flowers and other areas.

Gardening is one grand experiment. Seeds are cheap, even cheaper when
you save seed. One year things may work, another not.

Have Fun
Charlie


hey charlie,

thanks for the input.
still learning from the "masters",

rachael (rae)
humm - why does that sound familiar?? lol

Other neat veggies for Edible Landscaping are Russian Kale
and Bright Lights swiss chard. Both are gorgeous plants and
really tasty. The best part about the Kale is that deer won't
eat it, and it takes snow heavy enough to physically break
the plant down to kill it. (It tastes better after a few frosts
anyway.)

Seeds of Change puts out a beautiful catalog!

Jan

--
Bedouin proverb: If you have no troubles, buy a goat.

Hey Jan,

Once again, much thanks for the tips. Hadn't ever tried kale. Always fed
it to the many pet rabbits my step-dad had. I guess by feeding it to them,
I never thought to eat it myself. Any recommendations on it cooking wise?
Gonna have collards for supper, we love them around these parts. To me they
are better after frost too. Dry-weather collards are a little bitter to me,
but still good to eat when cooked right. ( i don't think i have to worry
about "frag" crashing my supper! LOL {in reference to his previous comment
on greens on other post}).
I checked out the website for seeds of change also.

Thanks again,
Rae

Charlie wrote in :

*snip*


I like the tater idea and will definitely try that next year. I too
move pots around and shade stuff.

I'll let you know what kind of results we get. My grandpa pointed out
that if you plant taters in too small of container you'll get small
potatoes. (I want them a little smaller than a fist.)

*snip: town cleanup*

i am always on the lookout for buckets!

I've got a use for a few more of them myself. ;-)

BTW Puckdropper, I have *never* heard of anyone liking their garden so
much they take it with them when they move! That is love!

Take care, it's an illness, I tell ye!
Charlie

Well, I'm only taking the potatoes and some strawberries. The other
stuff is staying, but hopefully will be ready for harvest before we do
move. Once the plant's established, 30 days can make a big difference.

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

In article ,
"Rachael Simpson" wrote:

"Jan Flora" wrote in message
...
In article , Charlie wrote:

On Wed, 30 May 2007 16:43:31 -0400, "Rachael Simpson"
wrote:

hey Jan,

thanks. didn't know it would grow that quick. i will go ahead and see
if
the local stores have seed for it. and yes, plenty of heat. yesterday's
temp
was 96 here at the house. it's 90 now. I've never saw anything but the
standard iceburg lettuce grown locally and they plant that earlier in
the
year. but i'll see how it does.
thanks for the input!

rae

Hey Rae, (kinda like the rhyme thing)

Jan is right. This year i noticed in the Seeds of Change catalog they
are showing light requirements for different veggies and lettuce showed
partial sun.

I experimented and planted some letuces in full sun and some in an area
that receives only about four hours of direct sun during midday and
darned if the mostly shaded lettuce wasn't better tasting, and like she
said, hasn't bolted. Like she did, I planted some in pots, old
fashioned varieties, and it has done great and looks great, with the
different colors and leaf configurations. A couple years ago we
started "landscaping" with vegetables. It is amazing how they work in
with the flowers and other areas.

Gardening is one grand experiment. Seeds are cheap, even cheaper when
you save seed. One year things may work, another not.

Have Fun
Charlie


hey charlie,

thanks for the input.
still learning from the "masters",

rachael (rae)
humm - why does that sound familiar?? lol

Other neat veggies for Edible Landscaping are Russian Kale
and Bright Lights swiss chard. Both are gorgeous plants and
really tasty. The best part about the Kale is that deer won't
eat it, and it takes snow heavy enough to physically break
the plant down to kill it. (It tastes better after a few frosts
anyway.)

Seeds of Change puts out a beautiful catalog!

Jan

--
Bedouin proverb: If you have no troubles, buy a goat.

Hey Jan,

Once again, much thanks for the tips. Hadn't ever tried kale. Always fed
it to the many pet rabbits my step-dad had. I guess by feeding it to them,
I never thought to eat it myself. Any recommendations on it cooking wise?
Gonna have collards for supper, we love them around these parts. To me they
are better after frost too. Dry-weather collards are a little bitter to me,
but still good to eat when cooked right. ( i don't think i have to worry
about "frag" crashing my supper! LOL {in reference to his previous comment
on greens on other post}).
I checked out the website for seeds of change also.

Thanks again,
Rae

To cook kale, you can steam it, stir fry it or eat the young leaves
in salads. Or (my favorite) steam it real quick, then saute it in
butter & garlic, gently and not for too long. I'll dig out the
"How to cook without recipes" book tomorrow and give you better
instructions for that.

There are two kinds of kale and many cultivars. Kale is a very
close relative to collards : )

Go read this:

http://www.territorial-seed.com/stores/1/Kale_C99.cfm

then click on the growing instructions in the sidebar on
the left side of the page.

Kale is a cool season crop. If you're down south, you'd have
to wait until late summer/early fall to grow it.

Anyway, more later.

We have a darned grizzly bear hanging out around our place.
The SO has spooked it off the driveway two days in a row.
(We have to walk 1/2 mile to the mailbox this time of year.
The driveway is too muddy to drive and we've been too busy
to bring the 8N Ford tractor up here from the ranch to drive
that in & out.) So we spent awhile this morning reloading
the appropriate firearms with the heaviest ammo we have for
everything. What a PITA -- I'm trying to put the garden in --
I hate having to keep the shotgun handy while gardening.

Jan

--
Bedouin proverb: If you have no troubles, buy a goat.

To cook kale, you can steam it, stir fry it or eat the young leaves
in salads. Or (my favorite) steam it real quick, then saute it in
butter & garlic, gently and not for too long. I'll dig out the
"How to cook without recipes" book tomorrow and give you better
instructions for that.

There are two kinds of kale and many cultivars. Kale is a very
close relative to collards : )

Go read this:

http://www.territorial-seed.com/stores/1/Kale_C99.cfm

then click on the growing instructions in the sidebar on
the left side of the page.

Kale is a cool season crop. If you're down south, you'd have
to wait until late summer/early fall to grow it.

Anyway, more later.

We have a darned grizzly bear hanging out around our place.
The SO has spooked it off the driveway two days in a row.
(We have to walk 1/2 mile to the mailbox this time of year.
The driveway is too muddy to drive and we've been too busy
to bring the 8N Ford tractor up here from the ranch to drive
that in & out.) So we spent awhile this morning reloading
the appropriate firearms with the heaviest ammo we have for
everything. What a PITA -- I'm trying to put the garden in --
I hate having to keep the shotgun handy while gardening.

Jan

--
Bedouin proverb: If you have no troubles, buy a goat.

Thanks Jan,

I really appreciate it. I believe I am going to try your "favorite" way of
cooking it - sounds good to me too. Wonder how it would be with vidalia
onions?

The main variation of kale around here is the dwarf kind. We are definitely
down south (NC) so if we like it I will probably try to plant some when the
watermelons, squash, etc is over. Oh, I went ahead and planted some sweet
butter lettuce too. We normally sow right in the ground - but I started
these in some pots I had to see how they will do. Also have to wait until
there is room in the garden for them. Might have to move some of my
husband's hay equipment................of course that might not go to good
(lol) - have to wait and see I guess!

Thank God we don't have grizzlies around here just yet. Due to growth in
the mountains (we are in the southeastern sandhill/coastal region of NC),
several bears have moved to our area in search of their natural style
habitats. So we have black & brown bears now. 10 years ago, you would have
never seen bears in this region. And I happen to know that keeping a gun
handy while gardening or just outside with both the kids absolutely ain't no
fun, too. (but we keep the gun handy for other reasons, such as snakes,
cougars, bobcats, etc.)

Good luck with your bear watching!
Rae

On Sat, 2 Jun 2007 16:53:18 -0400, "Rachael Simpson"
wrote:




To cook kale, you can steam it, stir fry it or eat the young leaves
in salads. Or (my favorite) steam it real quick, then saute it in
butter & garlic, gently and not for too long. I'll dig out the
"How to cook without recipes" book tomorrow and give you better
instructions for that.

There are two kinds of kale and many cultivars. Kale is a very
close relative to collards : )

Go read this:

http://www.territorial-seed.com/stores/1/Kale_C99.cfm

then click on the growing instructions in the sidebar on
the left side of the page.

Kale is a cool season crop. If you're down south, you'd have
to wait until late summer/early fall to grow it.

Anyway, more later.

We have a darned grizzly bear hanging out around our place.
The SO has spooked it off the driveway two days in a row.
(We have to walk 1/2 mile to the mailbox this time of year.
The driveway is too muddy to drive and we've been too busy
to bring the 8N Ford tractor up here from the ranch to drive
that in & out.) So we spent awhile this morning reloading
the appropriate firearms with the heaviest ammo we have for
everything. What a PITA -- I'm trying to put the garden in --
I hate having to keep the shotgun handy while gardening.

Jan

--
Bedouin proverb: If you have no troubles, buy a goat.

Thanks Jan,

I really appreciate it. I believe I am going to try your "favorite" way of
cooking it - sounds good to me too. Wonder how it would be with vidalia
onions?

The main variation of kale around here is the dwarf kind. We are definitely
down south (NC) so if we like it I will probably try to plant some when the
watermelons, squash, etc is over. Oh, I went ahead and planted some sweet
butter lettuce too. We normally sow right in the ground - but I started
these in some pots I had to see how they will do. Also have to wait until
there is room in the garden for them. Might have to move some of my
husband's hay equipment................of course that might not go to good
(lol) - have to wait and see I guess!

Thank God we don't have grizzlies around here just yet. Due to growth in
the mountains (we are in the southeastern sandhill/coastal region of NC),
several bears have moved to our area in search of their natural style
habitats. So we have black & brown bears now. 10 years ago, you would have
never seen bears in this region. And I happen to know that keeping a gun
handy while gardening or just outside with both the kids absolutely ain't no
fun, too. (but we keep the gun handy for other reasons, such as snakes,
cougars, bobcats, etc.)

Good luck with your bear watching!
Rae


--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

Jan Flora expounded:

We have a darned grizzly bear hanging out around our place.
The SO has spooked it off the driveway two days in a row.
(We have to walk 1/2 mile to the mailbox this time of year.
The driveway is too muddy to drive and we've been too busy
to bring the 8N Ford tractor up here from the ranch to drive
that in & out.) So we spent awhile this morning reloading
the appropriate firearms with the heaviest ammo we have for
everything. What a PITA -- I'm trying to put the garden in --
I hate having to keep the shotgun handy while gardening.

Well, Jan, you certainly have larger problems there than the bunny and
woodchuck that's threatening my garden!
--
Ann
e-mail address is not checked

Hi,

Grown some this year (only a couple to start) and had them outside but
under one of those victorian style plastic bell cover cloches
(spelling?). Done fantastic - just cut our first this evening.

Have also put out another two just now and have another three
seedlings on the window ledge.

(UK - Sussex)

Should be OK I think