Greta’s Organic Gardens

Greta’s Organic Gardens is an organic seed company based in Gloucester Ontario. They grow plants for their uniqueness in taste, appearance, color, and shape. They’ve found the best of these qualities in old-fashioned plants and organic gardening seeds. They have grown and tested many old-fashioned varieties, and have many great-tasting vegetables on offer. Some of these plant types are quickly being replaced by hybrid and genetically altered varieties. By growing these older varieties yourself, you’ll help preserve our vegetable heritage.

Planting Instructions
Parris Island Romaine is light-green with upright leaves form a tall, cylindrical head. It’s flavourful, crisp, and sweet-tasting and this variety is disease-resistant and heat tolerant. Overfeeding may result in tipburn.

Begin sowing as early as 3-4 weeks before last frost. Seeds should be sown shallow, covered with a light layer of soil. Plant every few weeks for continual harvest throughout season. Lettuce takes approximately 8 weeks to mature, from seed to full head. Alternately you can begin snipping young leaves off lettuce after three weeks. Harvest no more than one-third of plant at a time, for cut-and-come-again culture.

Seed Saving Tips

Lettuce will cross-pollinate, so isolate varieties flowering at the same time by at least six metres to ensure seed purity. Otherwise, designate only one variety each year for seed saving, or let different varieties flower at distinct times. Multiple varieties can be planted for eating; just be sure to remove flowers from any non-designated plants.

Do not save seed from any plants that bolt early as the ideal is a lettuce which keeps well into the season. Remove flowering heads from the first lettuce to bolt so they will not pollinate later lettuce flowers.

Allow seed heads to dry two to three weeks after flowering. Wait until half the flowers on each plant have gone to seed, then cut the entire top off plant and allow to dry upside down in an open paper bag. Immature seeds will continue to ripen.

Rub the heads together in your hands over a bucket to free the seed. Remove chaff by winnowing.

Provided it is kept cool and dry, lettuce seed should keep for around five years stored in paper bags, air-tight jars or plastic bags. Remember to label with the variety and date.

For more information, visit http://www.seeds-organic.com/

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