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Post by ladymarmalade on Jun 18, 2017 8:53:49 GMT -5
I love growing lettuces that are slow to bolt. Here in Wisconsin we can go from cool spring to hot summer in the blink of an eye, so slow-bolting varieties are a must. To get my lettuce to last even longer, I plant them in spaces that have more shade than others. The bright green lettuces to the right up above are Simpson Elite and Salad Bowl Green- two of my favorite varieties that I grow every year. I also really like Paris Island Romaine for a cos lettuce.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jun 18, 2017 11:07:35 GMT -5
You know, they may not be "fancy" varieties, but I have had great success with Simpson Elite and Salad Bowl, too. They have great taste and texture, they are reliable, and they are slow to bolt.
I don't think I have tried Paris Island Romaine yet, though.
Not that I will be planting any lettuce until September...it's just too blasted hot here this time of year.
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Post by september on Jun 18, 2017 12:12:23 GMT -5
I am envious of your lettuce, ladym. I sowed a bunch of varieties early in pots for transplantation, but had poor germination and so ended up direct seeding in the garden. Was using different, but older seed, and a lot of that didn't germinate either. Luckily, one new to me variety (can't think of the name right now) came up thick, so I will thin and transplant when I get a chance. But with the heat coming on now, not sure if I'll get much good lettuce. My dependable Nevada lettuce for summer was one of the failures. Time to buy a new packet.
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Post by horsea on Jun 18, 2017 19:41:23 GMT -5
I grow a variety named - wait for it - "Slobolt". Sometimes spelled "Slowbolt". It is the perfect lettuce, it really is. Widely available. I love this stuff. Your lettuces look nice, Ladymarm.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jun 18, 2017 22:14:54 GMT -5
I have some lettuce growing in a junior Earthbox, which is from a "mesclun mix" from Renée's. Some of the red leaf lettuce is fantastic, but, of course, I don't have a clue as to what it is! The problem of growing from a mix - you find something really good, you'll have to save the seeds. This is how I discovered Shogoin - in an Asian greens mix from Baker's Creek, very early on, when it wasn't in catalogs anywhere, and they didn't even know what it was when I called them up, and described it to them! Fortunately, from what I have heard, lettuce seed is very easy to save, as it does not cross pollinate much. And I'll just let the best one (the slowest bolting one of the reds, as all are delicious and productive) bolt and save seeds. Here are those 6 plants, of which I have harvested a LOT of lettuce from, and they are still growing strong! And here is a view from the end:
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Post by ladymarmalade on Jun 19, 2017 14:49:37 GMT -5
Updated lettuce beds today: Here's my main lettuce patch this year. The dark green leaves in the center are some Swiss Chard. And here is the recently sown bed. I'm pleased to see sprouts! I always forget to successive sow, and this year I made a big point to save some space and do it. We should have homegrown lettuce for our BLT's this year.
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Post by meandtk on Jun 19, 2017 16:39:32 GMT -5
I, too, must wait until September to plant. Our heat and humidity necessitates that.
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indigogirl17
Pro Member
Blazing here again...90's and dry after aq period of 3 weeks of solid rain a few weeks back. .
Posts: 191
Zone:: 5b
Favorite Vegetable:: sweet corn, collards, turnip greens, yellow wax beans, Cherokee purple tomatoes
Joined: March 2011
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Post by indigogirl17 on Jul 7, 2017 16:46:11 GMT -5
My greens...two kinds of lettuce and spinach
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Post by ladymarmalade on Jul 8, 2017 16:28:02 GMT -5
I have stopped planting spinach unless I can plant it in March. Otherwise they sprout and then go to seed before really giving me any leaves. I miss having it in my bowl of salad mix though!
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indigogirl17
Pro Member
Blazing here again...90's and dry after aq period of 3 weeks of solid rain a few weeks back. .
Posts: 191
Zone:: 5b
Favorite Vegetable:: sweet corn, collards, turnip greens, yellow wax beans, Cherokee purple tomatoes
Joined: March 2011
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Post by indigogirl17 on Jul 10, 2017 11:48:49 GMT -5
mine just bolted too...it finally got hot here
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Post by ladymarmalade on Jul 15, 2017 9:36:43 GMT -5
Current state of the lettuces: Bolting is happening, so it's time to pull it out and decide what else to plant there. I may just do another round of lettuces, though they don't usually sprout in the July heat. We'll see. And the newer lettuce patch: We leave for a week of camping next Saturday, and while I plan to harvest a ton of these to take with us, I wonder what it will be like when we return? Still ready to eat, or bolted and ready to pull. It's all dependent on the weather.
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Post by tomike on Jul 16, 2017 17:21:56 GMT -5
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 15:14:16 GMT -5
For a sweet and tasty slow bolting spinach I use Tyee hybrid here in n. Texas. It produced well into summer for me, lots of water and shade from the corn.
I am going to start some lettuces here in a beer flat cardboard box so it can be moved about and it's as much as I can use up at a time. I can get several cuts that way, replant it a couple times, then compost the spent dirt and box.
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