I had a discouraging beginning to my gardening season this year. I planted my seeds with high hopes. The first little seedlings poked up. Then they slowly disappeared. I shared my woe that something was eating my plants here with you and on Twitter. I got some great suggestions, some worked and some didn’t.
In the end I decided that the answer to my dilemma was to buy some lettuce plants from the garden centre. My thought was that bigger, hardier plants would be better able to withstand garden pests. It seemed like a good theory, anyway. Because I really just felt that I had a point to make by this time I decided that planting lots of lettuce would also increase the odds.
My lettuce patch
This is how I came to have 24 wee lettuce plants stuffed into an area that I estimate to be a couple of square feet. After the first night I counted and I still had 21 plants going strong. After the second night there were 19. At first I was discouraged – would this just be another long, slow attrition until no lettuce was left? But then the disappearances slowed and stopped. Some plants that had been almost completely eaten even perked up and regained health.
Looks healthy to me
This is how I came to have 18 very healthy lettuce plants in my garden. In spite of the fact that in complete honesty I just don’t eat that much lettuce. You see, I was growing it out of spite more than a desire to actually eat it. Which is sort of a problem, because lettuce doesn’t really keep.
More of my leafy greens
I did get some recipes for lettuce sauerkraut, and I have offered it to family and friends. I’ve also picked up my lettuce consumption, but one person can only do so much. I considered donating the surplus, but I don’t think I have quite enough to justify that. So I have taken to stuffing grocery bags full of lettuce leaves a couple of times a week and accosting people.
Raindrops on buttercrunch
This is actually a really good problem to have, I know that. An overabundance of food is a total luxury. It also underscores the miracle of life for me, how plants can just produce and produce and produce. I don’t mean to whine about my tragic lettuce surplus.
But you might not want to leave your car door unlocked around me all the same, lest you find yourself with a bag of greenery you don’t remember asking for. 
Oh, this reminds me how my Mom used to give zuchinni away and Dad would always warn people not to leave their trunk open if they weren't that fond of zuchinni.
you need guniea pigs – there is no such thing as ‘too much lettuce’ to a guin!
That’s how it is with squash around here right now. You may just come home to find a bushel of zucchini on your doorstep!
don’t you love using twitter to help you with this kind of stuff! i put a whole recipe together the other week all from twitter suggestions
Great looking lettuce. You could also consider giving some to a charity of some sort.
You may be able to find a charity that accepts small amounts of produce. There is a group in our region that organizes volunteers to pick fruit from trees where the owner’s can’t do the picking anymore and would like to give away the fruit.
Your lettuce looks delicious. Now, if I lived in Canada or you lived here in Virginia, I’d say, “I’m going to stop over in a few minutes to grab some lettuce.” Would that be okay?
Gardening is all about generosity, isn’t it? Anyway, that’s what I like to tell all my gardening friends with abundant veggies they can’t manage to eat.
You are so funny – I love that you were growing them out of spite – that is so something I would do!
What about the food bank? They might take it?
I think you should give the lettuce to friends in exchange for other plants and veg that they have grown. I swap the herbs I have grown for apples from a friend. It’s great to get back to basics!