The Crafty Cultivator

We are still pretty far away from our last frost date, so while most of the channels I watch on youtube are torturing me with their ability to plant outside, I’m just here telling my little tomatoes to not grow too fast. But I was really feeling the spring fever today. So I pulled out my seeds and decided to sow some lettuce. This will let them get started in the house where it is nice and warm, and I’ll be able to put them out before the last frost. They are pretty hardy.

Most of my lettuce seeds are pretty old, so I just over-seeded the little cells. Last year I had bad luck with my lettuce, but I really didn’t take great care of them. Lettuce just isn’t as interesting as Tomatoes to me, so they fell by the wayside. But I can say how much I missed having our own lettuce in the garden for salads and using on Burgers.

I should include some little blurb about the Kale, but really, just check down below for the types I’ve chosen for this year. The only problem with growing Kale and other brassicas, is that I don’t have the room to cover them to prevent them from becoming the nursery for the cabbage white butterfly. However, I have grown Kale in containers before, getting an earlier crop and having them be finished before the butterflies start looking for a place to lay their eggs. I don’t have a hard and fast plan for the Kale or the lettuce in the garden, so we’ll just see what happens when it comes time for it to leave the safety of my kitchen window.

Here are the varieties I chose:

• Little Gem
  • Burpee Seed from 2014
  • Its a Romaine type, but when I’ve grown it before, I would say it is closer to a mix between a basic leaf lettuce and a Romaine. I was all out of the Cos Romaine seed that I had (or at least I couldn’t find the pack of seed in my stash), so this was the next best thing. (For a photo of my Romaine, check the end of this post)
  • 45 Days to Maturity

• Red Salad Bowl
  • McKenzie Seed… I didn’t write the year on the pack like I usually do, so I’m not sure on it’s age.
  • Description reads: “For a different and attractive salad, consider this burgundy-red variety. With deeply cut leaves and large rosette plants, this variety is slow to bolt. Has a mild, non-bitter taste. Great for containers.
  • 50 Days to Maturity
• Grand Rapids
  • Mr. Fothergill’s Seed from 2014
  • Description from the seed pack: “Very Popular variety known for it’s crispness. The light green, frilled leaves make a perfect salad. Easy to grow. Slow to bolt”
  • I don’t have a photo of this one
  • 45 Days to Maturity

• Marvel of Four Seasons
  • Mr. Fothergill’s Seed from 2015
  • This is one of my favourite lettuces I’ve grown. It is honestly,  probably a tie with the Cos Romaine. Description from the Seed Packet: “Heirloom, butterhead type with 8-12″ heads. Light-green, with reddish tip on outer leaves. Popular long season type.”
  • 65 Days

• Dwarf Green Curled Kale
  • Mr. Fothergill’s Seed from 2013
  • This is my favourite Kale to grow, It seems to be the least likely to become infested with the cabbage worms.
  • 70 Days to Maturity

• “Dinosaur” / Lacinato Kale
  • Cornucopia Seed from 2015
  • Description from the seed packet: “Handsome heirloom known for its blue-green crinkled leaves, tender texture & sweet flavor. Delicious in salads, for sauteed greens, soups or braised with garlic and olive oil. Kale’s flavor is best in cool weather; mature plants handle frost well for extended harvesting.”
  • This packet doesn’t list any days to maturity.
  • One last note. This is my favourite kale to make Kale Chips with.

Do you have any favourite lettuces or greens for me to keep in mind for when I re-establish my seed stash (since most packets are getting quite old)? If you do, share them in the comments below. (Also I’ll be sowing spinach and swiss chard directly in a few weeks)

Below is the best Romaine I ever grew.. I think this was from either 2015 or 2016.