My first salad garden

[Wisher1000]

I planted my first salad garden today! I have grown cucumbers and tomatoes for many years, but never lettuce. I planted Buttercrunch, Iceburg, and Red lettuce plants that are 4" to 6" tall. I also planted some brocolli plants with 6 +/- leaves. Next, I plan to plant lettuce seeds (something they called "salad mix") and raddish seeds from the co-op. I was hoping to stagger the harvest so I won't have tons for a week then none!

I'm so excited! Any words of advice from all of you with experience harvesting your own salad? How is the best way to cut (pick?) the leaf lettuce? How long will it be before I have heads on the Iceburg? I was thinking of putting out a pan of beer for snails, what other precautions do I have to make to assure that I am the one enjoying the harvest? I already put up a bird-net fence to keep the chickens out!

All help is welcome....

 

[digitS']

The "All help is welcome...." encouraged me, Wisher, but I may not have much advice for someone in Alabama.

If it wasn't for salad veggies, I would have next to nothing coming out of the garden during our cool springs here. I can almost keep the lettuce going right thru the summer but, not quite. The plants don't like hot and dry very much. I suspect they might not like hot and humid either.

One way I keep them growing fairly late and then get lettuce started again so that I have it right now - at the close of the season - is by setting out starts. I find it easier to put a container in somewhat of an ideal location in my backyard then move the plants to the open garden at (hopefully) the right moment. I transplant in little "clumps" of plants and harvest a plant or 2 out of the clump at a time, when they've grown some. I sometimes do the cut-and-come-again with the romaine but it seems to be the only family that tolerates this. The other leaf lettuce is harvest it once and it's gone. No pulling outside leaves here - I was always trying to eat old, coarse leaves that way :/. I'd rather have a bowl full of small, tender plants!

I've only grown an iceberg lettuce once or twice. Of course, you will have to do the "harvest it once and it's gone" with that one.

Earwigs and slugs can be a problem here. Did you know that there is a new bait on the market that kills both? Organic but - I haven't tried it. Slugs can be killed by the iron phosphate bait but I find that most any spray deters them from traveling to the plants - if they haven't already taken up residence there. Slugs don't seem to want to slime their way thru something sprayed on the ground. At least, that's been my experience. Earwigs? About all I can say for both slugs & earwigs is to keep your vulnerable plants away from cover. I can measure damage from both of these pests by how far the plants are away from things like bushes and that sort of thing.

Lettuce seed germinates when it is really cool but, for some reason, doesn't grow well for me in the fall. The plants will just sit there and look at me at this time of year. I have more luck making sure they have a little afternoon shade and growing them in the cooler parts of summer. I'll get a few more weeks of growth from the Asian greens I've got but just having the lettuce go into suspended animation is about all I can hope for with the plants that are out there now.

See, I told you I wouldn't really know about salad greens in Alabama . Will you have some of those cucumbers and tomatoes to go with your greens??

Steve

 

[vfem]

I love my salad mixes. They are so easy and I just pour them into pots for easy growth and easy access from the kitchen. I've never done well with broccoli, so I wish you much luck!!

You did remind me about the radish, I totally forgot the plant radish... my favorite, and good fast growers!!!

 

[Wisher1000]

Vfem - I may have gotten the wrong radish, the man at the co-op said, "Solid red, or red and white?" I pictured my perfect radish, red on the outside and white on the inside and said, "Red and white!" LOL Oh well, it is what it is! I will be fine if I don't get any broccoli, it is just for fun. Thanks for the well wishes, I'll let you know how it goes.

DigetS' - You actually helped lots! It's good to know that others, in more ideal areas of the country, have problems growing it in the fall. That way, if my attempts fail, I will more likely try again in the spring instead of deciding that I just can't grow lettuce. I may have some tomatoes from the late plants I set out. Unfortunately, no cukes this year, it just didn't happen for me.

On a personal note, I am somewhat of a geek about this, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due. I always enjoy your posts. I find the structure and flow of your writing to be comfortable and easy to get lost in. Keep it coming....