Mesclun Salad Mix

[Michael Bird]

I was browsing through the seed packets at the local gardening shop looking for stuff to plant for Gracie, my Jordanian Greek, and I came across a seed mix that looks really interesting, but I don't recognize a few of the plant names so I want to make sure they are ok.

The seeds listed on the package are:
Black Seeded Simpson
Red Salad Bowl
Lollo Rossa
Royal Oak Leaf
Arugula Rocket
Radicchio Red Verona

The last four are staples of the Spring Mix that she eats now, but I'm not sure about the first two (Black Seeded Simpson and Red Salad Bowl). Are these good food as well or should I pick them out before I let her eat the rest (after it grows, of course)?

 

[Az tortoise compound]

They are varieties of lettuce...plant and feed I say. They are all good for your tort. They are included in the mix because they are easy to grow in most climates.

 

[yagyujubei]

They're just types of leaf lettuce.

 

[Michael Bird]

Good to hear. Thanks! I had planned to use the ones I recognized anyway, but I'll just go ahead and let her plow through the whole crop.

 

[Michael Bird]

Apparently this stuff really likes the potting soil that I used. The package says that it takes about 8-10 days for the seeds to germinate. I planted the full package (about 600 seeds) in a long planter box 5 days ago and already have nearly 400 sprouts poking up through the soil. The only problem now is that I need to figure out where to transplant the seedlings to let them grow to full size since the packaging says that the seedlings should be separated about 6" apart.

 

[Yvonne G]

That's if you are going to allow them to grow into heads. I usually take a handful with one hand and cut off the tops with the scissors with the other hand. They never form heads because I keep trimming off the tops to feed the kids. I don't thin them either.

 

[Michael Bird]

I probably don't need to give them the full 6" clearance, but I definitely need to thin them out more than they are right now. When I counted this morning, there were more than 380 sprouts poking up in a 6" x 24" planter box. The only problem is that I don't have any actual garden space here so I may just have to get some more planter boxes and fill them with the seedlings when they are big enough to be moved.