I've been growing my own lettuce this year. Our local farmer lost his lease on the property and moved, and the supermarket stuff just seemed pathetic. There is NOTHING like well-grown lettuce! But I'm a pretty pathetic gardener, and have never successfully grown lettuce.
So on a lark I tried using the "self watering" pots. I was surprised how easy it is. When the lettuce is watered using a wicking system, it doesn't "bolt" like mine always has in the past, and now we can just gather fresh leaves for salad. In a place like New Mexico, you could probably grow it year round, in the shade, in a few small pots. 4-5 heads would be plenty?
There is a picture of my first (crude!) lettuces about 3/4 of the way down the link below, plus a link to a YouTube video on how to "grow your own" easily. Really easily. I use a bit of granular fish fertilizer in the soil, and it grows like mad.
The little pots at the bottom are just small commercial plastic pots (the ones the plants came it) plus part of a plastic milk carton, and a bit of nylon rope. The Tubearc video explains the logic and how to do it.
I'll post some more pictures of the lettuce currently. Right now it looks like a "lettuce jungle" ... huge big heads. Each head is in one pot with a little string that sets down into the water, so I just have to make sure the reservoir doesn't dry out.
On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 7:17 AM, Heidi overbeek <heidioverbeek@yahoo.com> wrote:
I have the same issue. It really helps me if I only buy my favorites fresh, and the rest I buy frozen. Also, I have a salad bar at work, so I try to bring my own dressing, and make salads there. It's not organic, but at least I end up eating 2 or 3 pieces of broccoli most days! They also have fresh berries for breakfast, so I often buy them (and eat them later.) I live in New Mexico where the fresh produce is sad, and expensive. We have farmer's markets, but man do I miss the one I used to go to in San Francisco.Heidi
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