lettuces!

Set out the Lettuces into the garden today. I figured it was time because not only are they quickly outgrowing the cardpots

but the Lettuce seeded into the garden is coming up all over, so I can see where the gaps are in my planting to fit them in. Plus it's a cloudy day (so they won't have too much sun while recovering) and I figure if the volunteer lettuces are coming up, it must be warm enough for them to do well. The forsythia in the neighborhood are my marker; they've all started blooming now. So if next year I don't direct sow but only start indoors, I'll know that when forsythia show their yellow flowers, it's time to set out lettuce.

First I had to thin out the seeded Lettuce. From crowds

to even spacing that will allow them to grow big enough for a baby greens salad, when I'll thin again

Tons of seedlings got pulled up! Note to self: next year, only let one or two plants go to seed. That makes plenty- and it appears they all germinated, so don't sow so thickly.

Here are the plants sitting by the garden

and set into their spaces. You can see they did after all, have mold on the cardboard, but as it was outside I didn't care. They look pretty healthy, so I don't think it hurt the plants.

One some I had to pull a bit of the rim of cardboard off, so that it doesn't stick above the ground and wick moisture away from the plant.

All the little roots are growing out the bottom.

Simpson is our favorite- unfortunately the slugs like it best, too!

I was glad to find lots and lots of garden helpers as I dug holes for the plants- worms everywhere.

It's so nice to look out the window now and see bright green color where the Lettuce bed is.