Homegrown Journal

Lettuce

Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Finish.

Rain is on its way*

The rain was not on its way, and anyone watching no doubt grew tired of seeing me lay out all my materials, scoop them up and hit the deck, lay out all my materials, scoop them up and hit the deck.

— I use one of my dad’s old tackle boxes to carry seeds, tape measure, pens, popsicle sticks and whatnot.

— The only time garden beds are nice and tidy is when I take a picture of them being nice and tidy. Soil additives have been added (mushroom compost for one), soil has been smoothed over and now soil is ready to grow some food.

— Today, I planted lettuce in grow-cut-grow-cut rows, so I scattered seed rather than carefully spaced seed. This year’s varieties: “Henderson’s Black-seeded Simpson,” “Crisp Mint,” “Bronze Beauty,” “Chinese Narrow Leaf,” “Merlot” and “Merveille Des Quatre Saisons;” Shoutout to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for the free gift of “Merlot.”

Though I only have experience with Baker Creek, I know of two other local seed shops in Missouri: The Buffalo Seed Company, which offers Midwest grown seed, and White Harvest Seed Company, located in Hartville. I see you, “San Marzano” tomato.

— I don’t have an official compost pile or compost bin. Instead, my mom pours leftover coffee and grounds in a cooking pan, adds a used tea bag, throws in a banana peeling, piles in vegetable scraps and gives me the pan. I dig a deep hole and dump everything in. Cover it up. Sometimes newspaper or wet paper towels or tea or whatnot also joins the compost party.