Re-grow Romaine lettuce Hearts

I saw this on a The Grumpy Gardener (I think) and decided to try it.

Just save the end from your lettuce and put into a little water (about a half inch). Change out the water every day. The lettuce will grow back incredibly quick too.


The best and most amazing thing about lettuce, besides eating it, is that if the stump is intact it will regenerate and regrow new shoots for a second harvest. I took three photos romaine “stumps” in various levels of regrowth in my herb garden. All I did was put each stump in a half inch of water, check the level daily, and wait for tender new growth. I've also planted the stump right in the ground and had success as well when the weather is cool.

The perfect environment for re-growing leafy greens is a cool and bright window with all day light. Give it a try the next time you have a head of lettuce with the stem still intact. You have nothing to lose and a free harvest of lettuce to gain.

Important Tip: Romaine Lettuce is one type of produce that is easy to find in the organic form. It is often packaged as three heart of romaine and it pays to spend just a dollar or two more and have your salad free from any unnecessary pesticides.

I understand it works with celery as well.

PASS-ALONG PLANTS: a Southern gardening heritage

One of the great pleasures of gardening is sharing information with family members, friends,and neighbors. But perhaps the best benefit of sharing with other gardeners is receiving and giving pass-along plants.

Sharing plants is an especially strong tradition in the South. Pass-along plants are easily propagated, often unavailable at a retail nursery, and "passed along" to other gardening friends. Each holds a story of where it came from and the loving hands that grew it whether you trade with your next door neighbor or attend an organized plant swap. I have pass-along plants that were given to me when I lived in Florida that traveled to Georgia and now reside in my South Carolina yard! I feel close to the giver whenever I see them in my yard. I have also passed along plants to my friends in all 3 states and hope they have the same good memories.

Many old varieties, such as Confederate rose and heirloom vegetables, are available only as pass-along plants from other gardeners, who have often cultivated them for generations. A pass-along plant is defined as one that can be easily propagated and given away. But when and how does one acquire them?

Fall is a good time for acquiring pass-along plants, with divisions, seeds and cuttings as the usual methods of propagation. Here are some tips for each.

Divisions: the rule of thumb in plant divisions is that the plant should be divided opposite the season when it blooms.
Thus, those plants that bloom in spring and summer can be divided now. Some examples alliums, cannas, ox-eye daisies, coreopsis, crinums, crocosmia, dianthus, gladiolas, daylilies, iris, and phlox.

Seeds: seeds can be collected and saved for spring planting or for starting early indoors or in a greenhouse. There should be many seeds available for such old favorites as coral vine, cypress vine, cardinal climber, hyacinth bean,
butterfly weed, yarrow, coreopsis, purple coneflower, gaillardia, gaura, salvias, and many others.

Cuttings: for plants that aren't winter hardy, you can make cuttings to carry over indoors or in a greenhouse,
for setting out next spring.

Here are our some popular plants to hand down from generation to generation.
Keep your eyes open for pass-along opportunities so you can participate in the enjoyable activity of sharing what you have with others and having others share with you.

daffodils
spider lily
canna
daylily
crinum
cameilla
gardina
ginger lily
Iris

Extended rainy spells in the garden

Here we were in a moderate drought and then a tropical wave brings us days and days of heavy rains and thunderstorms. Soggy, saturated soil will kill plants over time just as well as successive hot days with no rain can shorten a plants life. You need to recognize excess water as a problem. Normally, pooling water between will gradually seep into the soil and nourish roots. But after consecutive days of heavy rain, pooling water that remains above the surface for long periods of time indicates that below the surface is extremely waterlogged. The roots are drowning! Here are some tips and tricks for spotting and solving problems in your garden after heavy rains.

Look for any leaf or stem damage that may have occurred and stake up any plants that are leaning over. If there is only slight damage to leaves, you may be able to just remove them. Keep an eye on plants that have received moderate or heavy damage over the next couple days, the plant might be able to recuperate. Branches that are heavy with fruit may have broken, it’s often best to harvest then and try to ripen on a window sill and remove the broken limb. If the main stem of a plant has snapped then more than likely the plant may not survive and need to be removed from the garden.

Root systems are very vulnerable to damage when saturated. Walking near plants in saturated conditions can also cause soil impaction, which can limit root growth. If you have well designed garden beds or raised beds where you can reach each plant without stepping near them this won’t be a problem. If you find any exposed roots due to soil erosion, cover them with soil, mulch or compost as soon as possible. Do not let the roots dry out – this can be disastrous to the plant.


Heavy runoff can carry nutrients from the soil. Make sure to replenish these nutrients with fish emulsion or an organic fertilizer.


As soon as possible after stormy weather look for areas that may be draining poorly in your garden. You want to correct the areas of long pooling water in the garden. This can be very bad for plants, and leads to root rot. If you find areas that drain poorly, create ways to get the water to drain away from the vegetable garden. You could implement dry creek beds (rock beds), French drains, swales, perforated drain pipes or use plastic water drains to redirect water from the garden. Rain barrels are a good way to collect and divert rain water. A rain garden will also provide a place for the water to drain. (More about rain gardens later.)

Eliminate possible slug or snail hiding places. Slugs and snails love damp places. Remove any boards, stones, or other items that are lying around in or around the garden.


Keep an eye out for emerging weeds. Weeds will often pop up soon after a storm. The sudden charge of moisture to the soil will encourage weeds to spring up almost overnight. Mulch will help to prevent weeds in flower and vegetable gardens and to help with soil erosion.


Empty any containers that have collected water. Overturn any buckets, wheelbarrows, or pot saucers that contain rainwater. These are breeding grounds for mosquitoes and we sure don’t need more of those in our gardens!


Keep an eye out for fungal or bacterial diseases. Damp, humid conditions are perfect for fungal and bacterial disease development. Diseases, such as powdery mildew, will spread very quickly in these conditions. Treat these diseases as soon as they are noticed.

Remember never work clay soil when it is soggy. If the soil is too wet, it will pack into hard clods. Test the soil by squeezing a handful into a lump, and then push your thumb into the lump. If it dents like modeling clay, it is too wet. If it crumbles, then it is perfect to work.

8-Cheap and Easy Garden Tips

1. Repurpose: If you moved from ‘up north’ you may have a child’s plastic sled that isn’t getting used. Re purpose it and use it in the garden instead of an expensive garden cart for transporting flats of plants, heavy bags of soil, pots and other items from the shed or garage to your garden.
2. Recycle: Take that unwanted correspondence and junk mail shred it and add it to your compost bin, or place around trees and shrubs. Lightly rake loose surface soils away, spread the shredded paper, soak it, and replace the soil. Just stay away from the colored shiny advertisements.



3. Tree Stump solution: You’ve taken out the dangerous or sick tree but the cost of grinding the stump is not in the budget; consider turning it into a planter. For a large stump, hollow out the center by drilling large holes close together then carefully brake out the pieces with an ax. Drill a couple of downward sloping drainage holes through the sides of the trunk near the bottom of the cavity. For short small stumps try cutting the bottom out of a half barrel and place it over the stump. Fill planters with good quality potting soil and add plants.



4. Shady space ideas: Save time, energy and money when trying to plant in a shady spot with poor soil. When you can’t get things to grow beneath trees or fences, try using multi-tiered containers. Plant shade-loving plants and compact shrubs in the appropriate sized containers, set the containers larger ones in back and smaller ones in front. Use metal stands if some need to be taller. You can also use green or natural colored pots to better blend into the background and the containers won’t distract from the flowers.



5. Plant Markers that last: Remembering where you planted perennials can be a problem when they go dormant in the fall and before they re-emerge in spring. Labeling is the answer but often the labels don’t hold up, they fade, break or just disappear or looked unnatural. Try using rocks! Collect them on walks and bike rides or buy some river rocks. Wash the rocks and keep them in a handy pile near your garden supplies. (Smooth rocks work best.) Write the plant name in black enamel paint and cover in varnish. If your creative you can even paint a picture of the plant blossom!
6. New use for old Screens: Have you ever had trouble keeping soil from leaking out the drainage hole when filling a new planter? Discarded old screens can be the solution. Cut a square of out of the old screen a bit bigger than the bottom of the pot. Fit the screen inside the pot and fill with soil. The soil will stay put and you will still have good drainage!
7. Cheap Rain barrels: purchase a trash with a lid or repurpose an old one. Then cut your downspouts slightly higher than the height of your trash can, then using a utility knife, cut an opening into the lid of the can that can accommodate the downspout. Just lift the lid and dip in a watering can to use.



8. Decorate a lamppost- Train an annual climber like hyacinth bean or moonflower vine, to crawl up a lamppost. Wrap the post with chicken wire and then plant seeds or seedling (you started indoors) at the base of the post in spring after the threat of frost is past. By mid-summer; the vine will encircle the post. By August it should reach the top and be in full flower.