IGV (Instant gratification vegetation)

[mrsflibble]

I planted some cut and come again salad leaves on saturday, some in a copper tub lined with a t***o carrier bag, some in a hanging basket. They've already started sprouting, I had no idea they'd be that quick! I'm so happy!!! 3 weeks from now our salad will be home grown!

[Birdie Wife]

Salads are great, aren't they? I sowed some Cima de Raapa a week ago, it's coming up like cress - the flowering shoots are ready sometimes as little as 60 days from sowing. Brilliant in stirfries.

[Super.Niki]

I seem to have some of them lettuce leaves! They're great! Ne and bessie Noodle were cooking yesterday and complained that we'd forgot to pick up a lettuce from M*******s... went into garden, 5 mins later had a bowl full of lettuce leaves for dinner! So yummy they were too!!!

[mrsflibble]

yay cut and come again!!!

[Captain Caveman]

With cut and come again leaves, is it best to pick individual leaves as they reach a good size or can you cut the whole plant and expect it to grow again?

With cos lettuce (eg little gem), you can harvest outer leaves also but does this affect the growth of the head?

[Annpan]

I just plant normal lettuce (not specific cut come again variety) and harvest the leaves as we need it - 3 months picking on 10 or so lettuce and some spinach, they do eventually bolt though. We get more than enough fresh leaves, and we planted some more mid-june, that should see us right through the summer

[Millymollymandy]

I have tried cutting lettuce to see whether it sprouts again, yes it does but promptly dies about a week later. and this even with Valmaine which is sold as a cut and come again cos lettuce!

[Wombat]

I thought "cut and come again" referred to individual leaves not the whole plant........

[Cheezy]

I do cut and come again early in the season (Feb/March), and then late (Sep/oct) as I find it bolts at a drop of a hat during the warmer months. The Franchi seeds I have are "quite " frost resistant . In autum I also plant a Japanse mustard leaf mix which went straight through winter no probs (and I live in the cold N.E!) I don't thin them out as the cutting stops over crowding.

I twist rather than cut, and yes the whole head and it comes back. (though you must leave 2 to 3 cm at the base for it to come back)

In the mid season (like April to August ) I grow little gem first then move onto Romano (my favourite, in fact I pulled the last romano from our first sowing last night, ) I plant both at the same time, the gems come first, then the romano. When you have eaten the last little gem I replant both, so I'm now back on little gem as of tonight.

You need to make sure they have moist soil or they will bolt very quickly.

I have found the heads of gem and romano are best left with out pulling from the sides, hence why I grow quick cut and come again while I'm waiting for the gems and romano's to develop.
I also grow wild rocket which is very strong and has self seeded EVERYWHERE!, even in the paths. I also grow Bordeux Spinach for the salad leaf (again early and late or it will bolt) and fennel which I plant late and eat in spring.

So I have had salad crops all grown outside right through last year all through winter and all this year.

[Millymollymandy]

I thought "cut and come again" referred to individual leaves not the whole plant........

Yes I would have thought so too but the Valmaine seeds say to harvest the whole lettuce then it will resprout several times. Obviously this doesn't work in mid summer, but it takes an early spring sown cos lettuce 2 - 3 months to heart up and mature! so quite when it is supposed to work I don't know, or maybe it just means for the British Isles and generally a cooler climate? Yet it has only just warmed up here and it's the same in the UK! I dunno!

[Bluemoon]

Now why didn't I think of that? My grandson is 3 and your average three year old doesn't have much patience when it comes to veg growing. I've been giving him radishes to grow, but he's not keen on them (actually the only member of the household who truly likes them is the dog), but I know he'll eat the lettuce. Thanks.

[SarahJane]

I bought some spicy salad leaves and have had 3 lots of them so far. I have noticed that the last lot have gone a bit spindly though, but as I have over half a pk left I will just plant some more. Very easy to grow and pretty good to eat aswell! I love stuff that you can see growing so quickly!

[old tree man]

When i harvest my cabbages i cut a cross in the stump and in a few weeks four mini cabbages start to appear, i have been doing that for years thanks to dear old Percy thrower.

Russ

[mrsflibble]

Russ, does that only work with solid brassicas like cabbage or will it work with lettuces too?

[old tree man]

i have never tried it on lettuce, i think that the inner core of the lettuce may be to soft and prone to rotting.