Iceberg lettuce- season 2

It's time for lush lettuce once again in my little green patch. Always loved watching this beautiful frilly variety of lettuce arranged so interestingly in Russel Market when I was in B'luru. I had to have them in my garden! I grew them many years back in my little balcony gardens in B'luru and here in my little green patch at Dharwad, this is my second season of Iceberg lettuce.

I love everything about it. The delectable flavour and crunchy burst of freshness it brings to a salad/sandwich. And what I love even more is feasting my eyes on the beautiful patterns that the light coloured veins form. And when, either the lovely rays of morning sun or the warm golden setting sun lights them up, it's sheer magic...

A glimpse of my Iceberg lettuce from last season.

This time again I grew them from seeds that I got from a local nursery. I sowed 6 seeds and 4 out of them germinated, which I feel is good enough with store bought seeds. I transplanted them a couple of days back. Three of them went into 6" plastic pots and one went into a 1 litre soft drink bottle.

My potting mix is a 1:1 proportion of soil and home made aerobic compost with a little neem cake powder. I top them up with a little compost in between the growing stage.

My iceberg lettuce last season, added their refreshing, beautiful and crisp charm to my salads and sandwiches for a good three months, before they bolted. Even in that stage, though the size of the leaves were smaller in comparison, they kept giving me harvests for long. Unfortunately, in my semi-shaded balcony, though my plants flower, they aren't large and healthy enough and I am not able to collect enough seeds of a good quality. I have to depend on freshly bought seeds for each time. Let's see what these frilly beauties have to offer this time.