Lettuce

Lettuce is another easy to grow vegetable, but it is easy to get too much at one time. Last year I planted too heavily and had that problem. This year, I'm working to plant just a little, but often. I like a variety of lettuce and so I plant both red and green colors of Simpson/Grand Rapids, Cos, and Buttercrunch types. The Simpson and GR grow very quickly and get used regularly. The Cos and Buttercrunch types are a little slower and longer to mature but help to make tasty Spring Salads.

This year, I started a few of each variety in-doors to transplant out into the graden, but after one or two crops, I'll be seeding directly outside. The small plants transplant fairly well and it gives them a bit of a head start during the cooler Spring. As with the Radishes, its best to plant just enough to get by rather than large amounts.

Generally I shoot for about a dozen plants at once of each type. The first few harvests, I'll cut leaves, but then after that I usually pull the plants to make a little more room for warm weather crops like beans.