Free, now what?

johnp 3/9/2015, 5:36 pm

The Chinese lady I play pickleball with just gave me a box of what she calls Chinese lettuce. They were dug up in dirt. I took them home and gently pulled them out and planted four to a square. She said they are not cabbage but lettuce. She said they grow about six inches around and 16, 18 inches tall. She doesn't know the name but that it comes from southern china. They are supposed to be extremely cold tolerant and she never covers them. I planted 12 with two in small indoor pots just in case. I still must have a dozen or more that I will give to my neighbors. If they make it I will post a picture for you experts out there to identify. They look more like spinach than lettuce but we'll see.

plantoid 3/9/2015, 5:52 pm

The heads root in clean water ..we have two sat in a jug on the kitchen work top left over from a shop brought pack that are five weeks old .They have 1" long roots and will be planted in the garden when it stops raining.

Like celery stumplings if you cut them off at the stump and replant the 12 high stump wwitht eh roots intact you get a new plant.
We love then in Po soup , stir fry's , dipsum soup & happy family five veg plate with a thick lemon grass sauce .
They are also OK very fine shredded on a salad & meat plate

Triciasgarden 3/9/2015, 5:57 pm

That was sure nice of her to share! Congratulations John!

yolos 3/9/2015, 10:22 pm

I planted a few Chinese Cabbage (Michihli). Don't know if that is the same thing. They look like romaine lettuce.

johnp 3/10/2015, 8:13 am

Could be, based on her description of what they look like when mature. Hope they are a cabbage but we will see.

GWN 3/10/2015, 10:44 am

I looked up chinese lettuce and came up with this CELTUCE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtuce looks interesting

johnp 3/10/2015, 12:37 pm

I think that is the lettuce that Plantoid is talking about. The lettuce that I have has got regular looking roots.

: Free, now what? Dscn0812

These are two that I put in pots if the others don't make it, but they look fine this morning

plantoid 4/11/2020, 6:36 pm

I grow these, Pak choi , aka .. Chinese cabbage or Chinese lettuce here in the UK . Free, now what? Th?id=OIP.9qbkI-DeDWdHm1yoMS7ZDQHaFj&w=141&h=105&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&pid=3

Free, now what? Th?id=OIP.9qbkI-DeDWdHm1yoMS7ZDQHaFj&w=141&h=105&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&pid=3

countrynaturals 4/11/2020, 7:31 pm

I thought they were cute, so I planted them this year. They all bolted -- long before the weather warmed up. Never again. Free, now what? 950477

**sanderson** 4/12/2020, 4:51 am

CN, I sow for bok choy around October 1. They bolt in late January or February. Shocked

So, enjoy harvesting a few leaves at a time for some hot stir fry veggies.

countrynaturals 4/12/2020, 9:57 am

sanderson wrote:CN, I sow for bok choy around October 1. They bolt in late January or February. So, enjoy harvesting a few leaves at a time for some hot stir fry veggies.

Except for kale of course, I have failed at every other winter crop -- except kohlrabi. From now on, that's the only one I plan to grow. A person needs to know her limitations. Embarassed

Sponsored content

Free, now what?

Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?

Re: Free, now what?


	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.