Sunday, January 10, 2010
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!
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!
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