Baymule’s 2020 Garden

[ducks4you]

@Xerocles , I am a very sloppy gardener and I plant beets in the Spring, whenever and I still get a harvest. THEY aren't picky, either. I would start them now, direct seed, if you haven't done so yet.
If you garden soil is nice and loose you can harvest them big, and they won't be tough.

 

[baymule]

My lettuce turns bitter when it starts getting too mature or about to bolt.

Have you tried picking it as baby lettuce to see if it's bitter?

Mary

Yes, the baby lettuce leaves are bitter too.

Just out of curiosity, are you talking about leaf lettuce or head lettuce. What types?

Leaf lettuce.

Butter crisp isn’t bad but all leaf lettuces (which I ate as a kid-grown in Illinois idiot soil)) is bitter on sand.

Now you tell me!

 

[Zeedman]

Butter crisp isn’t bad but all leaf lettuces (which I ate as a kid-grown in Illinois idiot soil)) is bitter on sand.

So for you, leaf lettuce is just sand wishes?

 

[seedcorn]

Yes, the baby lettuce leaves are bitter too.



Leaf lettuce.


Now you tell me!

Hey, you didn’t ask till now...... (As if you would listen to me anyway.....)

 

[Ridgerunner]

Butter crisp isn’t bad but all leaf lettuces (which I ate as a kid-grown in Illinois idiot soil)) is bitter on sand.

Seed, any idea why sand makes leaf lettuce bitter? Why not head lettuce? If you knew why you might be able to fix it.

Some common causes of lettuce turning bitter. It matures, especially when it bolts. Hot weather can turn it bitter, it's a cool weather crop after all. Drying out can turn it bitter. Those are the three I knew. Just reading about it I read that too little or too much nitrogen could make it bitter. That one sounds a little iffy to me but maybe.

Sand drains really well, I could see it getting too dry if you don't watch it. Sand is inert, it does not hold nutrients like nitrogen very well but allows them to leach out when it rains or you water. I can see both those being issues on sand that you would not have on clay. But that doesn't explain a difference in leaf lettuce and head lettuce. I've never grown head lettuce, is the root system different, maybe going deeper looking for water? It's a mystery.

When did you plant it Bay? Did you wait until the weather got warm? And what varieties? Somehow I don't think you planted just one variety.

 

[flowerbug]

i'm far from an expert on lettuces, but the bitterness can be a reaction to stress and for lettuce growing in sand is probably a definition of stress right there - as it gets warmer that's not going to improve. lettuces are more cool weather crops from what i know and also need good soil and reliable and fairly steady moisture levels. sand is not prime garden soil. add some clay and organic materials and get the lettuces planted sooner and perhaps you will get less bitter results?

i actually don't care much about how bitter lettuce is. Mom won't eat leaf lettuces. in fact she won't eat any greens grown here other than the onions and garlic. she doesn't like chards or beet greens, won't touch turnip greens, kale, etc. she only likes romaine hearts. that is it. once we get some peas in she'll eat those. thank goodness!

 

[baymule]

I set it out when it was still cool and we have just reached 80 degree days, cool at night . My sand has been heavily amended with plenty of humus, horse, sheep and chicken manure, wood chips and rotted hay. Lettuce is not my friend. I grew good lettuce at our old house, but not here.

 

[baymule]

This picture says it all on why I’m trying weed cloth. Lambs quarters with ragweed thrown in the verdant carpet of garden battle-winner takes all.

 

[baymule]

I have started my Painted Mountain corn. @thistlebloom and I exchanged seed to mix up the genetics. Mine failed last year, along with the rest of the garden, she succeeded and has seed for this year. I have to start corn, then transplant because crows will pull up every plant as it emerges and eat the kernel. So I am looking forward to growing cornbread this year! It will be planted through the weed cloth.

 

[seedcorn]

Be interesting to see how it works.