Milly's Results

I received lettuce seeds, basil, and chamomile. Since I live in a condo, I planted them in containers. I have not been able to get any of the lettuce to go to seed. I set the containers on the balcony, and we had a moderate summer, not terribly hot, with cool nights (70's). I planted some crowded together, and some with lots of space between the plants. I planted some in potting soil, and some with regular dirt mixed in, and fertilized them. They grew very well at first, leafy and healthy, then got very lanky and stringy, and no seed pods have developed.

I planted basil in April, and it has started flowering and going to seed this last month and a half. Seeds are still in process and should be successful. This was a very easy plant to grow.

I did not plant all my seed as I was afraid of widespread failure, and have about 1/3 left. I was surprised the "going to seed" process takes so long, as in the gardening books they warned of lettuce "bolting" or going to seed too soon, if conditions were not right. Instead, the going to seed part seems the most difficult to achieve.

Milly