Lettuce, Act II

With the first crop of cubicle lettuce up and running, it was time to start the second. Keep in mind, the goal here is to have a revolving stock of lettuce. I'll harvest and eat the first crop, then the second, then the third, and hopefully by the time the third crop is eaten the first will be ready to harvest again.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving I sprinkled the same mix of seeds -- mesclun, mustard, and Japanese mustard -- over the middle patch of the EarthBox. Note where the grow light is placed in this picture...and where it isn't.

When I came back to the cube on the Monday after Thanksgiving, the poor seedlings had started without me.



With no natural light available to speak of, the newly sprouted seedlings stretched desperately for the grow light hanging over the neighboring plot. I hung a light over the newcomers and switched it on, and in a few hours they'd straightened out and started pointing upward. But I'm afraid they'll have those long, white, spindly legs for life.

So by now, the reader is likely questioning my lettuce parenting skills. I'm attempting to redeem myself with the third crop, which has been sown and is sprouting -- with a grow light already placed above it.