Edibles

Here we go, off to another slow start to spring. But that’s ok with me, because these cold days and nights bring me to one of my favorite crops of the veggie season: lettuce and other leafy greens. Nothing beats fresh picked lettuce – the taste and texture is so much better than store bought. And it’s easy to grow, either in the ground or in containers. Plus this stuff loves the cold, so you need to take advantage of the season. Actually lettuce tends to “bolt” (stretches and goes to seed) when planted too late, so don’t procrastinate!

Any container will do!

Planting lettuce in containers – Start with any 10- to 12-inch pot that’s least 4 inches deep. It doesn’t need to be fancy (unless you like fancy, in which case pick a lovely pot that complements your outdoor décor and the color green). Good quality potting soil makes a huge difference, so don’t cheap out – and remember, topsoil or regular dirt will not work!  The just pop in 4 to 6 plants in a 12-inch pot and you’re off!

Planting lettuce in the ground - Lettuce is an efficient use of garden space. I place plants in a row about 6-inches apart, with the next row about 12-inches away. Iceberg and other larger varieties may take a little more room. When the plants start to grow close together I take out every other head to make more room to grow. Again, starting with good quality soil rich in organic matter is key.

Fertilizer – lettuce and greens typically are “heavy feeders” (like to be fertilized often). When first planting I mix organic Espoma Garden-tone into the soil, and then as the plants grow I add Neptune Harvest Organic Blend Fertilizer when watering. Try to feed directly onto the soil without touching the leaves. There are other quality fertilizers that will work, but I always do both feedings because it really pushes them along well.

Fresh lettuce tastes way better than store bought!

Pest problems – lettuce and other greens don’t have a lot of problems at this time of year.   Most insects aren’t out yet, and there are no major disease problems. The only insect problems I’ve ever had are aphids, and they’re easy to deal with. Every so often inspect under leaves. I usually use an organic approach such as insecticidal soap or Bon Neem. Start spraying every 5 to 7 days. Don’t let them get out of control because they get harder to deal with as the plant grows and inner leaves become harder to reach. Again, aphids are rare, but it’s something to keep an eye out for ‘cause there’s nothing worse than aphids swimming in the salad dressing. That said, also watch out for over watering; either from mother nature (which is uncontrollable) or yourself. While lettuce plants like an even moist soil, too much water will lead to botrytis, a rot at the crown of the plant.

Harvesting your lettuce – One of the great things about lettuce is how fast you can start to enjoy eating it. You can enjoy your first harvest in as little as 2 to 4 weeks. Remember, you can pick lettuce at any size – it tastes the same, it’s just smaller.  As they start to crowd each other out, just thin out a couple heads, enjoy your fresh salad, and the rest will grow on for another supper. I usually plant too much every year, and inevitably get a little sick of salad towards the end of the season. But then I miss it when it’s gone and I look forward to it the next time I can plant. So don’t wait, take advantage of this pre-tomato growing season and plant that lettuce; your rewards will be palatable.

October is a good month to review the season’s vegetable garden for both style and performance.  This was the first year in a long time that I grew vegetables in raised beds.  Nothing fancy, just a mounding of the soil, which creates a generous amount of loosened soil.  It also allows the soil to warm up more quickly and there’s excellent drainage for vegetable growth.  The raised beds are also pleasing to the eye and no vegetable garden needs to be ugly.There is beauty in symmetry.  I do plant vegetables in two different areas, one inside a fence and the other, which holds the corn crop, the asparagus bed, pumpkins, squash and the bulk of the tomatoes, in more of a field setting.  Most people have smaller gardens due to time and space constraints and the smaller, fenced garden is the one in review here.  Other than the raised beds, I did add a brick edging, mainly because it makes the small strip of lawn easier to mow.It is essential to make maintenence a bit easier, since we’re all so very busy with the other demands of life.  I did find that the raised beds seemed to make a difference in production.  The beds were pleasing to the eye and I’ll continue to use them.  I did add quite a bit of compost to each bed.  At least two wheelbarrows full mixed with a granular organic fertilizer were added to each four by twelve-foot area. Overall, this system was very satisfying.

I grew a variety of vegetables, including garlic, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, squash (both yellow and zucchini), beets, carrots, parsnips (these are still in the ground), Swiss chard, basil for edging and eating, and green beans.  It sounds like a lot but you can see from the pictures that this is not a huge space.  It’s about 12 by 60 and plants were spaced close together.  In addition to the vegetables, I added calendula and marigolds for companion planting.  I’ve found that the flowers not only add color but they attract beneficial insects that prey on problem insects. 

Most of the vegetables grew very well this year.  The tomatoes provided a bumper crop that seemed to be in compensation for last year’s disappointment of few fruit and the disease problems of late blight. The cucumbers were great and next year I need a better system for them to climb.  They were on the upright green tutuer and it was just not big enough.  My squash plants were healthy but the yellow squash did not produce many fruit.  I think this was because of the variety and I’ll seek out another for next year.  The Swiss chard continues to produce and late plantings of lettuce are ready for picking now and should continue into the late fall.The parsnips are looking lush but I’ve pulled a few and the roots are on the small side.  I’m sure this is because I did not water them enough during the dry period of August.  We did have some dry spells this season and while I know watering is most important, sometimes it just doesn’t get done.  Parsnips are best left in the ground until after the first frost.  The cold causes the starch in the roots to convert to sugar and the parsnips will be sweeter.  Carrots also become sweeter with the cold weather.   The beets were great.  Have you tried Golden Chiogga beets?  If not, plant some next year.  They are not only sweet and delicious; they are beautiful to look at, too. 

In all, this season was a great one for the vegetable garden.  I’ll try a few different varieties of vegetables next year and it’s always fun to add something you’ve never grown before.  This year it was tiger melons, which were beautiful but had a melon flavor with no sweetness.  Not so good.I’m still waiting for a frost.  It is hard to tell if it’s anticipation or dread, but frost does signal the end of the growing cycle. It also signals that it’s time to, once again, plant the garlic. The cycle continues. What was your garden’s star performer this year?