I decide to start a new project this morning–starting seeds in pots. I have no idea how this is going to work, but I’m going to give it a go anyway….one, because I had all these terra cotta (and other) pots in my back yard half-filled with sun-dried potting mix….and two, because I’ve got this:
So….I proceeded to gather all of said half-filled-with-sun-dried-potting-soil pots and began to break up all of that soil. I figured it was just dry and still usable–what the heck, it’s just dirt. (Update 2/18/13: Not the best idea. Old potting soil is not sterile, for one thing, which can possibly be diseased if a ‘sick’ plant was previously planted in it. Also, potting soil often comes with nutrients in the mix, so it’s best to use fresh potting soil for best results.) Once I got them all in shape for planting, I placed them around the edges of my garden to soak up all of that water that has successfully been helping me grow weeds. Pretty green huh? Ok, it’s not THAT great, but whatever–I like it.
Once the soil in the pots is nice and moist, I will plant my little seeds and see if I get any sprouts. I’ll keep you posted!
Oh hey–I heard somewhere this past week–can’t remember where, of course….such is the mind of an over 40 year old–that if you take the core of the lettuce (after you are finished with it) and plant it, that it will grow. Think so?
If you have done this before, please please tell me about it. I would never have to buy lettuce again if I could make this one work! Off to putter around in the garden some more….
Not sure about the lettuce. But I have heard that you can take a potato and soil and put it in a garbage bag or the ground and it will grow into more potatoes. Never tried it though.
Oh really? I would love to try that! Thanks Dawn, and thanks for stopping by!
Romaine is a “cut and come again” type lettuce. You can cut off the outer leaves for your salad or sandwich and it will continue growing. I’ve not tried starting lettuce from the core of a store-bought head, but it’s always worth a try. The worst thing that could happen is that it dies.
Most commercially grown vegetables are treated with an anti-sprouting chemical, but it doesn’t always work which is why your potatoes start growing! LOL Just something to think about as you try your experiment. If you buy organic veggies, though, this won’t be the case most likely.
You can let your potatoes sprout on the counter or wherever. If you’ve got eyes and sprouts, cut them so that you have at least 2 eyes or one good sprout. Let them cure overnight, then plant them in a container that’s got 6″-8″ of dirt on the bottom and with about 4″-6″ of dirt on top. Or, you can plant them in the ground, but dig a trench for them about 4″ deep, then cover. They will get quite tall, so you’ll need to hill them with dirt or with leaves, grass clippings, or straw.
Wow—awesome info Stephanie, thank you!
Actually, the head of lettuce was from the local farmer’s market, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t use an anti-sprouting chemical, although I would think it makes it less likely. I hope it works, but if not, there’s always the farmer’s market and they have huge heads of lovely lettuce for only a dollar.
[...] weekend I gave this a try and had some success and figured I’d share what I did with you [...]