Pick a Salad Everday

If I could do that, I would say my garden was a success. Such planning it would require, but that is my goal now. I need to start by keeping track of germination dates, transplanting dates, harvesting dates...that's where these online garden journals come in handy, they are a perfect place to store all this important information.


I just picked my first salad this morning from lettuce started on 2/6. I first broadcast the seeds in a flat on 2/6, then I transplanted the little seedlings 1.5" apart, into a new flat on 2/17. On 4/8 I transplanted those larger seedlings into their raised bed (they were ready sooner, but with all our rain I had to postpone transplanting). It took me nearly 3 months to harvest my lettuce this spring. That's way longer then usual.

I started another batch of lettuce on 4/18, which was transplanted on 4/28 into its second flat. I think it should be ready to transplant into its raised bed much more quickly now that the rain has stopped.




Don't wait till lunch or dinner to pick your lettuce. Harvest lettuce as early as you can in the morning when it is the sweetest, before the bitter mucus (natural protectent) enters the leaves.








Calendula, Cornflower, Nasturtuim, Borage and Viola's

I like to pick some edible flowers to add to my salad, they make it look so pretty and appetizing (especially in the winter and spring, when we have no tomatoes for color). I like to add sliced strawberries to my salad when they are in season as well (instead of the dried cranberries that I used all winter), and some candied lavender pecans add the finishing touch.

This is my favortie Raspberry Vinigarette:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons Raspberry Enlightenment
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
fresh ground pepper

Candied Lavender Pecans:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons Lavender Sugar (2 cups sugar with 2 Tablespoon dried lavender flowers stored in a jar)

Heat in a small skillet, stirring, till sugar melts, coating nuts. Remove nuts from pan and cool on a plate. Transfer to jar for storage.

UPDATE: June 2


My second bed of lettuce (and herbs, and edible flowers) this season, transplanted on May 24th. Some Radichio, Endive, Red Snails, Nancy's, Basil, and I sowed some mounding type nasturtium seed along the borders.


Started some more lettuce seed in a flat on 5/27. I just broadcast the seeds in a little plastic food tray I recycled, and left it on the kitchen greenhouse window. After all the seeds germinate, I will transplant them to a larger flat, giving them more spacing, then when they grow out of that, they will go out into their beds.