You might well wonder what is Kagraner Sommer 2? It is the name of my favourite head lettuce. It is a type of lettuce known as Butterhead (or Bibb, or Boston). It makes a loose head, that can reach the size of an iceberg lettuce, the most common head lettuce sold in North American grocery stores, but the leaves are much greener, more tasty and somehow more substantial, without being tough. Here is how I grow them.
Kagraner Sommer 2 has an excellent flavour and, unlike the majority of lettuces, does not tend to get bitter as it ages, nor does it go to seed. Apparently, it does not transport well, but this is the home gardener's least concern.
I no longer seed lettuce directly in the garden. It is easier to seed them in a pot and transplant the small lettuces once they are big enough to handle. That way, you can keep an eye on them more easily and make sure they have all the water they need.
Another advantage of starting them in a pot is that you can transplant them to the garden when it is most appropriate. For instance, if you will be gone for 3 days, you can put the pot in the shade and only plant them when you are back. I always wait after we have had a good rain storm to transplant them in the garden, so the transition is easier on the plants, and I don't have to do as much watering.
I start only a few at a time as I start new ones about every 3 or 4 weeks throughout the whole growing season. Just now, I have them in four sizes. Above are some that have just been transplanted. Followed by some that were transplanted about 4 weeks ago, and below are some that were transplanted about 8 weeks ago. You would expect more difference in size between these two. What happened is that after the older were put in, we had a drier period, which slowed them down. After the newer were put in, it was much wetter, and so they almost caught up with the older ones.
In the picture above, the lettuces are too crowded, but every second one will be harvested when it is still small and eaten, and thus make room for the remainder to grow. The ones I just transplanted will no doubt be my last batch. When it starts freezing, I will cover them, and they should last well into the autumn as the growth will slow down when it gets cold.
Here is what they look when they are mature. One reason the Bibb type does well for me is probably the fact that yet another name for this type of lettuce is limestone. Roche Fleurie is on limestone. If, for instance, your garden soil is acidic, another variety might do better for you. Kagraner Sommer 2 is open-pollinated, which means I could keep seeds to plant next year. However, this is not very practical, because one of its great assets of this lettuce is that it is very slow to bolt.
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| Kagraner Sommer 2 |
Kagraner Sommer 2 has an excellent flavour and, unlike the majority of lettuces, does not tend to get bitter as it ages, nor does it go to seed. Apparently, it does not transport well, but this is the home gardener's least concern.
I no longer seed lettuce directly in the garden. It is easier to seed them in a pot and transplant the small lettuces once they are big enough to handle. That way, you can keep an eye on them more easily and make sure they have all the water they need.
Another advantage of starting them in a pot is that you can transplant them to the garden when it is most appropriate. For instance, if you will be gone for 3 days, you can put the pot in the shade and only plant them when you are back. I always wait after we have had a good rain storm to transplant them in the garden, so the transition is easier on the plants, and I don't have to do as much watering.
I start only a few at a time as I start new ones about every 3 or 4 weeks throughout the whole growing season. Just now, I have them in four sizes. Above are some that have just been transplanted. Followed by some that were transplanted about 4 weeks ago, and below are some that were transplanted about 8 weeks ago. You would expect more difference in size between these two. What happened is that after the older were put in, we had a drier period, which slowed them down. After the newer were put in, it was much wetter, and so they almost caught up with the older ones.
In the picture above, the lettuces are too crowded, but every second one will be harvested when it is still small and eaten, and thus make room for the remainder to grow. The ones I just transplanted will no doubt be my last batch. When it starts freezing, I will cover them, and they should last well into the autumn as the growth will slow down when it gets cold.
Here is what they look when they are mature. One reason the Bibb type does well for me is probably the fact that yet another name for this type of lettuce is limestone. Roche Fleurie is on limestone. If, for instance, your garden soil is acidic, another variety might do better for you. Kagraner Sommer 2 is open-pollinated, which means I could keep seeds to plant next year. However, this is not very practical, because one of its great assets of this lettuce is that it is very slow to bolt.
Beautiful lettuce and informative post. I envy your vegetable garden. Does having more alkaline soil make it more of a challenge to find flowers that do well? My impression is that most seems to prefer neutral or more acidic.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, I think it is just different. For instance, rhododendron and blueberries need acidic soil, clematis and mock orange prefer alkaline soil. Most plants will put up with a wide range of soils. I grow lupin and strawberries which would probably prefer it more acidic but grow quite well anyhow. My mother in her acidic garden has nice clematis but clematis are probably more carefree here on alkaline soil.
DeleteI haven't grown any butterhead lettuce this year - I have never heard of this variety. Most of my salad leaves etc. have bolted rather quickly I don't think they like how hot it has been.
ReplyDeleteI only found it two years ago but like it very much. My oldest plants are just now starting to bolt. I does not seem difficult to find on the side of the Atlantic. It is originally from Germany.
DeleteBeautiful .
ReplyDeleteBest regards !
We've only ever grown leaf lettuce. Maybe next year I'll grind up some of those eggshells that I've collected but never known what to do with, and try a "head" instead.
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely looking lettuce. You are good gardener to produce such nice lettuce. I will try it out sometime. Is this a heirloom?
ReplyDeleteI think it has as much to do with the climate as with the gardener. Lettuce does not like hot weather and we did not have a very hot summer this year, which helped a lot. I am not sure it is an heirloom but it is open-pollinated (you can keep the seeds if it produces any).
DeleteYou've grown beautiful lettuce! I've never had any vegitables in my garden. Looking at your lettuce, I want to try it out! Thank you for sharing:)
ReplyDeleteMmm. Looks delicious, and very useful advice. I'm surprised you start them in pots rather than direct sow. Sounds practical.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking lettuce. And I really like the idea of starting in pots. I usually direct-seed and can't bring myself to thin them out. So the leaves closer to the bottom tend to rot. Transplanting them would force me to space them correctly. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteI leave a few extra plants in the pot and use them a few days later to replace the transplants that did not make it.
DeleteI will try this next Spring. Where did you find the seeds?
ReplyDeleteI will give you some when we get together this winter.
DeleteOne of my favorite lettuces. I called it 'elegant' in my summer lettuce showdown. http://www.squarefootgardener.com/2013/07/28/2013-summer-lettuce-showdown/
ReplyDeleteHi Brandon,
DeleteIt is quite a nice lettuce isn't it? Among other things I like the consistency which I would say is solid but not tough.
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