Grow your own greens to save a little green

Lettuce is quick to grow indoors or outdoors.

Last night's trip to the grocery store quickly put into perspective how the Salinas Valley lettuce crop failure is hitting the wallet. At close to $5 for a small head of romaine lettuce, my husband decided to buy Jack Rabbit a nice bunch of dill instead for his supper.

Hearing the news of how Pythium Wilt and INSV are spreading through the fields also pulled at my heartstrings as I was reminded of how beautiful the display fields looked during my visit in 2017 as an #NGBPlantNerd. 

While the prices should even out as the Yuma, Arizona crop comes to harvest and will enter the supply chain, this whole scenario reinforced why growing your own edibles - even in a small space - is worth it. 

Whether you are in a warmer region or headed into winter, growing lettuce greens are one of the easiest crops to start. If you have a grow light indoors, you can have baby lettuce greens about 28 days after the seeds sprout. (Repurposing the plastic salad boxes from the store is a great way to grow indoors.) If you are in a warmer climate, you can sow seeds under the protection of cold frames or hoop houses. 

Of course, I'm partial to the baby greens because I am short on space indoors. You can also extend your indoor edible garden to microgreens and herbs, too (as shared in "Micro Food Gardening"). 

By staggering your seed sowings every few weeks using additional containers, you can space out the lettuce harvest for a longer period of time, too. Speaking of which, I better start sowing. I have a hungry house rabbit to feed. 😉