This year I'm growing a few of lots of different varieties, in a bid to have a varied and continuous supply.
Those ones are still very small and will need to double in size before I'm prepared to plant them out.
You will also note that I have protected them with slug-pellets. This is after a recent bad experience with some of my brassica seedlings. Since they were raised up off the ground, on the wire shelf of one of the greenhouses, I foolishly expected them to escape the notice of the slugs and snails. I was wrong, and had to re-sow several of my Brussels Sprouts. So I'm not taking any chances with my precious Lettuces!
As well as lettuces, I have sown seeds for a number of different types of Endive. These include "Romanesca" (not to be confused with the brassica with a similar name), "Pancalieri" and three French types: "de Meaux", "Grosse Pommant Seule" and "Fine de Louviers". So far only a few have germinated and they are still pretty tiny, but they look fine:
At the weekend I also sowed seeds for Rocket (Aragula), Lamb's Lettuce / Corn Salad (Mache) and Land Cress (aka American cress). Put these together with the Tomatoes and Radishes that are already on their way, and the Cucumbers and Beetroot that have yet to be sown and it should produce a fairly respectable salad, don't you think?
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| Radishes at left, Broad Beans at right |
It sounds like a good salad to me. I can't wait for me lettuce to grow up.
ReplyDeleteWe're not huge lettuce eaters so I tend to grow varieties like Salad Bowl where I can take just a few leaves at a time. I have problems with slugs in the greenhouse, they get everywhere, even to pots which are raised on staging or those in the mini greenhouse inside the bigger one. It's a wonder anything survives.
ReplyDeleteWe have some salad leaves under one of the grow lights. The idea when we get the WoodBlocx bed sorted is to have salads in that so they are readily available rather than on the plot
ReplyDeleteVaried and continous supply; a great idea.
ReplyDeleteSlugs get everywhere don't they, I remember a colleague telling me about how they found one sucking on a peach in a tree in their garden. I'm planning my own salad days too.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good salad to me. My lettuce I planted in containers came up on one side of the container only :( Guess I will plant some more.
ReplyDeleteI've had similar probs re slug attacks on seedlings in pots very high-up on staging. I found little brown (earth coloured) slugs tightly curled-up and almost hidden just inside the drainage holes in pots that I've been too lazy to clean/check before re-using. That said, from regular reading of your blog I expect you're far more thorough re sterilizing pots etc than me Mark...
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely sight to see things growing in the ground. The makings of a wonderful salad I think. I am still yet to grow a sunflower, I've tried for 3 years and the slugs always get them. Not this year!!
ReplyDeleteYou're well on the way to a more than respectable salad Mark!
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