June 5, 2014

Gardening is about experimentation and finally I’ve been able to grow lettuce in the summer garden. It took three years of failed attempts and poor showings.

This season I took my cue from commercial lettuce growers and planted lettuce than stands up to warm weather better. The ‘Nevada’ and 'Freckles’ lettuces have done well. I’ll plant Jericho mid-summer.

Growing my lettuce from seed and then transplanting to the garden worked well. Alternatively you could buy six-packs from the nursery to plant as I did last summer.

This is the lettuce 18 days ago just after transplanting–the same lettuce at the top of the post. It grew quickly and needed watering once or twice daily.

Bird netting spared my lettuce from the munching of feathered friends. In past years, the mesclun lettuce never made it beyond small sprouts and transplants became avian dinners.

This is a shortcut for growing summer lettuce. You can do this on a sunny porch or balcony. My six-pack of lettuce grew well last summer with netting to protect from the birds.

This is a photo of  'Jericho’  lettuce bred in Israel by Genesis Seeds (their photo) to tolerate heat without bolting. It can be grown as a cut-and-come again romaine lettuce. I’ll plant seeds this weekend for transplant during July for harvest in the warmest days of summer.

Listen to Kathy Gunst, author of Notes from A Maine Kitchen on Here and Now about building flavor in summer salads. Recipes and her favorite salad combinations included. You’ll find the interview inspiring.