Going to Seed

With the hot temperatures this past week, we’re seeing a lot of our spring planted lettuces and spinach going to seed. Don’t know what I mean? See the picture below for the first sign of “bolting.”

Bolting is defined as the production of a flowering stem on crops before the crop is harvested, in a natural attempt to produce seeds and reproduce. We see this often when the temperatures get too hot/sunny too quickly, or when a plant is nearing the end of its lifecycle.

Many folks snip off the bolting parts of plants in an effort to slow down the end of the plant’s season, but I’m partial to a different approach: Show Gratitude, Let Go and Plant Again.

Step 1: Show Gratitude

I planted these lettuces in the middle of March from transplants, which means they were already a couple of weeks old when I planted them. Considering their life cycle is only 30-60 days, I feel grateful that I was able to enjoy them for as long as I did.

I’ve enjoyed daily salads for lunch, sharing small bags of lettuce with neighbors and bringing big bowls of fresh greens to dinner parties all spring long. I’ve incorporated the spinach in my smoothies, soups and eggs for breakfast. I’ll even blend some up with water and freeze it in small portions for summer smoothies when greens are hard to come by.

Step 2: Let Go

When I stepped into my garden this morning and saw these signs of bolting greens, I knew I’d have to snip them soon to beat the heat (it’s supposed to be 90 degrees this afternoon as I’m writing) or they’d get bitter. I cleaned my shears, filled my salad spinner with water and got to work.

I like to snip as close to the base of the plant, strip the leaves and soak them in water as soon as possible. I tasted as I went to ensure the bitterness hadn’t already set in. I dumped the soiled water back into the garden and brought my greens in to refrigerate for lunch that day.

Step 3: Replant

I like to plant my garden in stages to avoid overwhelm, and while I already snuck in a flat of plants last weekend, I now have so many more spaces in my garden to fill when I go to the market on Saturday. I’ll plant some melon, cucumber, green bean, basil and nasturtium seeds this evening before the weekend rain hits, and I’ll pop in some more plants like winter squash and zinnias.

Before I do that, I’ll add some compost to cover the areas of plants I just removed, and then add some Kelp Meal to the transplant hole of my new plants. I want them to feel welcomed and supported as they begin to root in their new home.

This time of year, it can be easy to feel behind, but when my garden starts telling me to move onto the next season by sending plants to seed, I feel grateful to be able to receive that message. I hope you all are enjoying a few more weeks of green salad and spinach as you start to interplant your warm season crops. If we can help in any way, click the button below.