The First of the Lettuces

I grabbed a few seed packets of some lettuces last night while I was out and about.  Here's a look at some of them we are going to try!  We do hope to get more, tho!

Grand Rapids Lettuce Seeds -  A long standing favorite, Grand Rapids produces medium-large plants that have wavy, frilled, deeply cut, light green leaves.  Nice uniformity.  Perfect for cold-frames, greenhouse growing or in the garden of course.  Crisp, tend and tasty.  Resistant to heat and tipburn resistant.

Mesclun - Sweet Salad Mix - Sweet lettuces and tangy, tender greens are pre-mixed in just the right proportions.  The French approach to salad greens ("mesclun" means "mixture"). Sweet lettuces and tangy, tender greens are pre-mixed in just the right proportions as you pick them from your garden. This classic mesclun is a feast for the eyes and a gourmet treat. It includes arugula, chervil, endive, mache, four lettuces (Oak Leaf, Prizeleaf, Red Salad Bowl, Green Ice), radicchio and upland cress. Grows best in cool weather and full sun to partial shade.   We also got a Mesclun - Spicy Mix - as well!

 Full Heart Batavian Endive (Escarole) — Large thick dark green leaves, ten to twelve inch diameter, compact heads, that are easy blanching.  Broad leaf endive varieties, or escarole, tend to be less bitter than the curly leaf endive varieties.  It can be eaten like other greens either fresh as part of a green salad, or sauteed or chopped and added into soups and stews.

 

Medium-sized, heat resistant heads are deep red with a blanched heart. Sow in average soil in full sun in early spring for first crop, in late summer for fall crop. Sow thinly in rows 12" apart and cover with 1/4" of fine soil. Firm lightly and keep evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 7-10 days.

I also picked up some White Lisbon Bunching Onions, Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Carnival Hybrid Mix Sweet Peppers, Little Finger Carrots.

I was sitting here waiting for 2 of my co-workers to get here so we can start planning and I figured I would do a quick blog post about my findings last night!