Since I was moving in the middle of growing season, I didn't get to plant much this summer. For a dyed in the wool gardener, it was heartbreaking. It also means that we have nothing in the freezer to help feed us this winter. A sad situation, but since we now live on our homestead, it will be the last time this happens.
One of my favorite things to grow in the fall is lettuce. Since it grows quickly, I planted a crop in one of my raised garden beds, back in August after we moved here. It is so easy to grow and it really matured quickly and looks beautiful. We harvested our first leaves last week. Delicious!!
Some whole heads are missing because we gave some to our real estate agent, and our next door neighbor!
All last week, I picked single leaves from different plants. This method of harvest prolongs the length of time you get leaves from you plants, however, when growing lettuce in the heat of the summer, you cannot really harvest like this for very long because heat and a lot of sunlight will make your lettuce bolt and turn bitter.
In the fall, when the season is winding down and the weather is turning cooler, you don't have the bolting problem, so you can harvest single leaves for a longer period of time. We will have sweet tasty lettuce for weeks, as long as it does not get too cold at night.
Anyone can grow lettuce. You can plant the seeds in pots and when they come up, just thin the plants and either replant them in the ground or a raised garden bed. You can also leave them in pots. I grew lettuce in pots all the time when I lived in the city. In fact I wrote a post about it in June of 2015: How to Grow Your Own Lettuce - No Land Needed!
Lettuce is so easy to grow, there really is no excuse not to! Usually during the summer, I plant some ever two weeks from June to the end of August, so I have fresh lettuce all summer long. Try it, you won't believe how delicious it is!
Have a great week,
Jade :)
Have a great week,
Jade :)
 | I love raised garden beds. My husband made mine, but this one is virtually the same design. It is so nice to be able to garden without having to bend over or kneel. Weeding is a breeze and so is tying up plants and harvesting. You simply cannot find a more convenient way to garden! |
RSS Feed
