ribbit, maybe you should try planting leaf lettuce or butterhead varieties. I think they are much easier to grow, and less likely to bolt. I've always had very good luck with Prizehead, Black Seeded Simpson and Buttercrunch. Romaine would be another good choice. At least with the leaf and romaine lettuces, you can begin pinching off outer leaves of the young plants to use in salads, and they just keep producing.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Granny, that's exactly what we did. Yesterday evening after dinner, the boy and I ran back to the store and got some buttercrunch seedlings to put where the others used to be. We have Romaine growing in another part of the sqrft'er, but it also seems to be growing on a thin stalk.....I'm thinking it will all come in time. Starting to think I may just not have given the head lettuce time to even start to head.

Ribbit - which part of Georgia are you from? I can't remember....Anyway, I have several varieties in the garden right now, and have experienced heat related issues with a couple of them. I was just wondering if you were dealing with similar issues. If you bought cabbage transplants, you're still looking at probably 10 to 12 weeks until maturity. One of the quickest veggies to mature for the fall is spinach....only about 40 days. I just direct sewed my spinach today. I've been waiting on the temps to cool a bit.

EG

And I just had a baby spinach (planted 8/23) salad with hot bacon dressing for dinner tonight...the spinach was about ten minutes from garden to plate, and to die for.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

EG, We've got a Winder address, but we're closer to Auburn, Ga. We're about 30 min. south/south west of Athens.

Last 2 weeks we've been upper 80's, but this past whole weekend we've been lucky to break 70. I bet you're right and heat has been a factor. We're LOVING the upper 80's as it's much cooler than it has been, but I bet still a bit warm for the lettuce.

Hey Ya'll - I have a question about buttercrunch lettuce. When do you harvest??? I planted transplants 2 weeks ago and the center leaves are growing but the outer leaves are turning yellow and wilting - so I till have the same number of leaves I started with. Also only a few spinach have popped up but maybe it's because of the hot days that we are still having in Atlanta? Seems like the first bite is a long way off for us!

Betty - the spinach doesn't tolerate heat at all. Since it has a very quick maturity date, you can plant another batch anytime over the next 2 to 3 weeks - if necessary. On the buttercrunch lettuce, I would think that you could harvest at any stage, as long as you don't wait too long. Also, I think your outer leaves are turning/wilting because of the outside temps. Mine are doing the same thing.It'll get better, as it becomes cooler.

Ribbit - Sounds like you and I have almost identical weather/temps right now. The sugar snap peas didn't like the heat from the previous week at all. There's definitely some discoloration at the bottoms of the plants, but the new top growth looks much better.

Granny - you should try cooking that spinach like we (southerners)do with poke salad. Fry it with some scrambled eggs. YUM!

EG

Engineered Garden - . We finally had a cool weekend - the fair is in town and the weather usually starts to change but we will have very warm days well into November. We just need rain - not a drop in three weeks!

I visit your blog often to see what's going on in your neck of the woods! Ahh - Poke salad - I never acquired the taste of poke salad but growing up that was a cherished dish for my Dad.

Betty, I've noticed the first (outer) leaves of many of my greens turn yellow long before the lettuce has matured. Just pinch them off. Your buttercrunch will be ready as soon as it forms a loose head, I'd say 4-6" in size.

Poke salad just sounds nasty! But I do like spinach cooked, and it is good with eggs. Baby spinach MUST be eaten raw, though. It just tastes too good to eat any other way.

We have a frost warning for tonight! It NEVER freezes here before about the 20th of October! Last week it was 95 degrees, today it's supposed to be 68. When autumn comes, it comes fast!

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Betty - thanks for visiting my blog. I don't have a counter on it, so I really don't know how many people go to it. If your Dad liked poke salad, then he knew what good food was!

Granny - if you like spinach with eggs, then you'll like poke salad with it too. You just have to be careful when preparing it. It has poisons in the plant (especially the berries), that must be removed before eating. Frost warning, huh? That's a real bummer.

EG