In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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May 24, 2007

Romaine just steps from the kitchen

The remaining heads of Romaine lettuce are safely stored in my refrigerator until I can turn them into salads. This was my first experience growing lettuce, and I was happy with the results. When I cut the stem off, and the outer leaves fell away to reveal a beautiful Romaine heart, I was thrilled.

The whole process, from planting to harvesting, took less than two months. I started with seedlings purchased at a local nursery. Other than a bit of water, they grew with little care. Of the dozen I origianlly planted, I lost three to unknown causes. The remaining nine grew dramatically, until at harvest time each weighed several pounds and I needed two hands to hold them.

Sure, I had to trim away some of the outside leaves that had gotten ragged. And the earwigs chewed holes in a few of the leaves. But I knew the lettuce was organically grown, so I was willing to forfeit a few leaves for fresh, organically grown produce. These days when a head of lettuce can travel 2,000 miles from farm to market to customer, knowing mine traveled a few feet made me feel quite smug.

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