Lettuce

[Galina]

Love lettuce, so much variety, so many different shapes, colours and sizes. Well not perhaps colours as such, they are all shades of green or red. Anyway here is a selection of what is growing here this year.

Trout aka Spotted Cos, Little Gem and Soulie

[Galina]

and a few more. Hyper Red Rumple Waved, Red Sails and Austrian Greenleaf

[Galina]

and more still - Devil's Ear aka Les Oreilles du Diable (or I think it is), this was an odd lettuce out of the Hyper Red Rumple Waved packet and when I looked at other red lettuces of that seed company there was only this one and the pictures match. This single plant has been picked over quite a lot already and is looking a bit bare, it was huge before harvesting the outer leaves. Cimmarron and Bath Cos

[Galina]

last three - Stoke. Mordore and Cressonette Marocaine. Mordore is the least convincing this year, barely better than last year when not a single plant survived. However it is definitely the darkest red, almost blackish lettuce and for that reason I am trying it again. Maybe I will be able to save seed and have an easier time from my own seeds. I thought Cressonette was a type of cress when I bought the seeds (impulse buy) - actually it is a rather nice lettuce, very small, darkest green, very robust leaves.

[jayb]

Wow!
So many types, the pictures are great. I don't think I've met a lettuce connoisseur before.
I've grown a few of those and liked them, just wondering what's your ultimate favourite out of the ones you've shown?

[Galina]

Can't answer that, because it is the infinite diversity I love rather than just one .

However the sweetest to eat is the most boring looking - small lettuce Stoke. Which is soft leafed with juicy ribs ............................... that contrast so well with the crunch of Cressonette ................................. and the mouth feel of crinkly Red Sails .................... and ................ You see why we really need all of them

[jayb]

You make them sound even more gorgeous!

[Galina]

Harvested for dinner today: l to r Red Sails, Cressonnette, Cimmaron, Trieste and Bath Cos

[jayb]

Stunning, lovely variety. How do you keep up with them all? I find it hard to keep on top of my few, one minute not quite ready, the next they are all ready together!

[Galina]

Dietary needs 'must' a lot of lettuce - well that's my excuse anyway Many of my lettuces are picked by the leaf which makes for a varied bowl on the table. Even so, most years I forget to sow at this time I have even had to resort to buying a cheapie punnet of live lettuces and planting those.

Actually, lettuce grows for most of the year. I decided years ago that if grass grows (and needs mowing), then I should be able to grow lettuce at the same time. And that does work. Just a question of sowing at the right time.

[jayb]

Bah, I still haven't sown my Hyper Red Rumple, they do look good, though not quite so 'rumpled' as I imagined.

[Galina]

I know what you mean - Trieste is far crinklier.

[Galina]

Well Hyper Rumple was a bit of a disappointment. Nice lettuce but not a prolific seed producer, neither was Cressonette or Mordore. Part the weather, but mostly the variety I think because others produced seeds plentifully during the same weather and Hyper was in the greenhouse where I have never had a seeding problem before. Too bad. Mordore again not a single seed (and it was my last seed). Great looking but no good for me.

[jayb]

What a shame, sometimes things just don't happen despite good growing from the gardener.
I never got around to growing Hyper RR, not sure I'll bother with them now.

[Galina]

My hands are not small or dainty, but these leaves of Bath Cos are something else ..................

[Silverleaf]

Haven't managed to sow any lettuce here! I guess if I do any now it'll go to seed pretty quickly?

[Galina]

Just cheat! - buy a punnet of living salads, divide into individual plants (best in a bowl of water) and plant. You should get plenty of leaves before they go over. Punnet type lettuce is loose leaf, so easy to harvest by the leaf. You can happily plant into something like an old washing up bowl, or a large ice cream container. Lettuce does not need very deep soil.

[Silverleaf]

That's a good idea. I might do that and then sow a few seeds in the autumn when it's cooler.

[jayb]

My hands are not small or dainty, but these leaves of Bath Cos are something else ..................

What a size! I love using lettuce to wrap around food to eat.

[Galina]

and you get a 'full dinner portion' with these

[jayb]

Lol, in that case I'd probably have to have one spare to use as a bib to catch all the bits!

[Galina]

Cimmarron lettuce is starting to develop seeds. The buds are a fabulous red colour.

[jayb]

Oooh they're pretty, love teh contrast with the white puffs