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Ongoing Farm Lettuce and Blue Dwarf Kale Rotation

Grow log by nick · Original thread

4 visual updates10 photos12 replies
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CropLettuce, kale, spinach
VarietyRed Salad Bowl, Green Salad Bowl, Blue Dwarf Kale, Burpee Bibb, Burpee Vivian, Little Gem, Riverside Baby Spinach
MethodAeroGarden hydroponics
EquipmentAeroGarden Farm
Plants-
AudienceBeginners

What you can learnA practical rotation diary on germination variability, reduced feeding, maintenance trimming, and sequential replanting.

Actions:1 Equipment1 Pruning1 Planting1 Finished
Useful practices
  • using reduced nutrient strength for greens
  • removing failed pods
  • trimming damaged leaves
  • staggering new plantings for rotation
Problems encountered
  • uneven red lettuce germination
  • failed spinach germination
  • lopsided plant sizes

*The days were calculated automatically and approximately.

Day 365
UPDATE#4
Grower update

Update #4

Actions taken

FinishedRemoved the Little Gem plants to create room for a new crop.

N By nick

Still love that Blue Dwarf Kale (but my kids not as much).I've also been planting a lot of Little Gem recently, though these plants were just taken down to make room for something new.
Conversation
T
tonydedo

Hi nick, how have you timed your rotation? I'm trying to plant a similar rotation - I have one garden about 3 weeks in, but I'm not sure when to plant the second garden or start harvesting the first.

Day 35
UPDATE#3
Grower update

Update #3

Actions taken

PruningTrimmed off damaged or unattractive lettuce leaves.
PlantingPlanted Bibb, Vivian, Little Gem, and Riverside Baby Spinach positions.

N By nick

I’ve kept these lettuces around for longer than I usually do. I’m trimming off bad looking leaves and these seem to be maintaining and still taste good. Meanwhile in my other Farm I’ve planted some new lettuces. In the back row are two Burpee Bibb plants. In the front are two Burpee Vivian plants On the other side of that Farm in the back row I have two Park Seed Little Gem plants. In the front I have four Park Seed Riverside Baby Spinach plants. However, I don’t think they’re going to sprout. We’re three weeks in with no sign of life.
Day 9
UPDATE#2
Grower update

Update #2

N By nick

This particular Salad Bowl grow has been so weird and lopsided. The Dwarf Blue Kale is a steady strong grower, as usual.
Conversation
S
Shawn

I see many salads in your future

Day 1
UPDATE#1
Grower update

Update #1

Actions taken

EquipmentPulled two red lettuce pods that were not going to germinate.

N By nick

Dwarf Blue Kale is off and running. My split of green and red Salad Bowl has been weird. Only one of the reds came up right away. Another finally made an appearance when I was ready to give up on them but it still isn’t above the label. I pulled the other two red pods because they weren’t going to pop. This group is going to look disjointed but hopefully there will still be plenty to harvest.
Conversation
U
Unknown

our gardens are so pristine and neat! I love that Kale you have going there!

N
nick

Thanks! That’s from seed Happy sent me. Turned out to be a fave. Finally going to switch it up with my next lettuce grow. Stay tuned. 🙂

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