AUTHOR: Julia
TITLE: Thinning the Herb
DATE: 4/29/2009 02:18:00 AM
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BODY:
Less is more. Especially when it comes to planting lettuces and leafy greens.
Every year, I make the same mistake, though, when planting the arugula, mizuna and tatsoi. I plant hundreds of seeds when I should be planting dozens. The tiny seeds fool me into thinking I need more, and sprinkle as many as 50 seeds per inch. To give you a little perspective, I used a 1/2 teaspoon measure for the arugula seeds in this photo:

When they begin to sprout into a bushy shag of leaves, I start trimming.
The roots crave room to grow, and when they’re crowded, the plants’ growth is stunted. Last year, I ruthlessly thinned the lettuces to one sprout per 1 or 2 inches. And I was reward with large, prolific plants. For some reason this year, I still planted the seeds too densely. So this morning I headed out to the garden to start snipping away.

This is not a particularly pleasant task. With sharp scissors, I cut the stem below all the leafy sprouts. I carefully leave the strongest sprout. With stems growing within millimeters of each other, I must be careful to not accidentally cut too much, nor to disturb the roots of the remaining plants.
The plants I thinned last week are already rewarding me for the breathing room. I should have my first garden salad within a week.
If you’re good, like Susy at Chiot’s Run, you will save all the sprouts for a small salad.Labels: urban gardener
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: noble pig
DATE:4/29/2009 12:32:00 PM
That is quite tedious but I love your lettuce dedication. Sometimes we are required to sweat the small stuff!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Heather
DATE:4/29/2009 07:46:00 PM
lol. the one time i tried growing salad greens, i must have planted millions of seeds. learned my lesson ;)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Claudia
DATE:4/29/2009 09:47:00 PM
I've been staring at my tiny arugula and hate to throw out a live plant! So, one must be ruthless?????
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: grace
DATE:4/30/2009 07:37:00 AM
this is the fifth gardening post i've seen today, and i'm almost ready to cry. not only do i have the brownest thumb of all brown thumbs, but i don't even have any land on which to try! i suppose i'll just live vicariously through you. do keep us updated. :)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Julia
DATE:4/30/2009 06:52:00 PM
noble pig -- I will be rewarded in just a few days!
Heather -- I have a friend that was shocked, SHOCKED when I told her each teeny seed would produce a head of lettuce.
Claudia -- ruthless, I say!
Grace - I bet you could grow some herbs in a sunny window in a pot? Thyme and basil are pretty straightforward.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
DATE:4/30/2009 08:40:00 PM
I guess this is how microgreens came into being! There must be something wonderful to do with all of those snippings, for all the work it takes to thin them out.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener
DATE:5/03/2009 04:47:00 PM
I purposefully start too many of the arugula, tatsoi, spinach etc and plant them close 0 maybe not as close as you. And I wait a little longer than you and snip every other plant. And then again a few days later. And again. Thinning are eaten!!! no need to waste food. That way, I start to eat from the garden a lot earlier than if I had to wait for mature plants. It's a better use of my garden space (but yes, it is more labor intensive. Goes together!)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Julia
DATE:5/04/2009 07:28:00 AM
Lydia -- That makes a lot of sense! Maybe I should start selling micro-greens.
Sylvie -- I still need to plant a little thinner -- even for your approach -- which sounds much more civilized.
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