Sunday, January 10, 2010

Gatsbys Gardens: Lettuce Dream

Gatsbys Gardens: Lettuce Dream

Lettuce Dream

It is afternoon,and weattherbug says it is still only 11 degrees.  My fingers are actually cold typing this!  I did manage to peruse some internet catalogs today, Select Seeds (vintage flower seeds), saw a great vining fragrant petunia.  I may go back and order these as plants - not seeds.  Then I went on to imagining what my vegetable garden will be this year.This is the one type of garden that can be started before the snow stops flying.  Several years ago, I used to start all of my vegetables under lights.  I would begin in February with tomato plants, then a few weeks later with peppers.  I prefer to start my cucumbers and basil right in the soil when it warms up - late May.  By starting your own seeds, you can grow unusual varieties that do not come in the seed packets at the grocery store.

I really got the bug today to grow some unusual lettuces this year.  For the past few years I have bought those seed packets at the grocery.  They were just fine, and I always got an abundant crop, but nothing new!  This morning I moved on from Select Seeds to Johnny's Selected Seeds, and ordered several of their new introductions.  Some of their introductions don't even have names, just numbers - what could be more mysterious!  It was a good thing I recognized the pictures as lettuce.  The ones I ordered had names like Guardsman, Skyphos and Panisse - nothing like what I was used to like Salad Bowl, Buttercrunch, Romaine and Bib.  Come March, I will put these experiments in the ground along with radishes and green onions.  I can't wait to throw these names around, but probably no one will even ask!