Yes, the writer of the article agreed that lettuce has its place and they wouldn't be giving it up. Probably trying to point out to those who use it as the main summer vege, like my Mum did, not to kid yourself that it's providing much than water. Thanks Uli for posting it for our thoughts!
uli,
Aug 27, 12:41am
Yes hydroponics have nutrients added to the water or nothing would grow.
In fact the same applies if you try to garden without composting - soon you will find that you have to add artificial fertilizer because you have exhausted the soil nutrients.
Of course those "baby" greens you can buy in bags are ALL hydroponically grown - and so not much value in my eyes. This includes "baby" kale, "baby" spinach and "baby" mesclun etc.
When I used to sell at a market years ago I often was given some leftover lettuces from my neighbour when we started packing up (he was "very advanced" and so grew everything hydroponically! The thing to do then).
So I would put the lettuces into a plastic bag into the fridge until by the end of the week I remembered them (as usually I have enough from the garden anyway). Within 5 days they had converted from a "nice" looking green salad head (not iceberg - the curly leafy stuff) to a little brown sludge at the bottom of the bag and the the little pot which held the roots when it was growing .
If I did the same with a lettuce from my garden it would last for 10 days to 2 weeks depending on variety.
Basically hydroponics "force feeds" the plants, because they cannot choose which nutrients they want to take up (as plants grown in soil do - little known - but they can "pick and choose") - because every time they need water - the nutrient mix comes with it. So they grow very fast but have no "substance", hardly any fiber and I doubt much nutritional value.
samanya,
Aug 27, 1:37am
You & I both know the value of fresh greens, straight from our gardens . but not all of us are lucky enough to grow our own food . so why should people who need to buy their food be knocked? Healthy choices include leafy greens, don't you agree? So if green leafy salad ingredients are purchased . so what? We know it's easy to grow them, but not everybody does know or think they can't grow them, for various reasons, so let's encourage those people to grow a few salad greens, wouldn't you agree that's what we should be doing on this forum?
uli,
Aug 27, 3:02am
Not quite sure what you want to say there samanya - could you elaborate?
". We know it's easy to grow them, but not everybody does know or think they can't grow them, for various reasons, so let's encourage those people to grow a few salad greens, wouldn't you agree that's what we should be doing on this forum?. "
Do you think that people that buy "baby" kale, "baby" spinach and "baby" mesclun etc. are "knocked" on this board (whatever that might mean) because they cannot distinguish between an outdoor grown spinach with all the leaves and dirt and a hydroponically force fed non-food?
uli,
Aug 27, 3:03am
Yeah it would be great if we would all grow up to the fact to grow at least some of our food - but even if you cannot for whatever reason (living in a wheelchair, old age, back problems or living in a retirement home . ) then you still have choices!
Our local produce market (by the way the only and earliest real producers market in the country) has special wheelchair parking for people on crutches, walkers or wheelchairs so they can go and buy the most fresh produce available - picked on Friday - sold on Saturday morning.
In most areas of the country we now have that option - and in others we can have vege boxes delivered every week. There is no need to not have healthy food - and YES lets encourage those that can to grow some of their food.
wendalls,
Aug 27, 4:11am
I put in a few brocolli recently. I have had to google "why is my brocolli head so small?" Main suggestion seems to be too much nitrogen in my soil. Seeing as I grew lupins in it last year thinking that would improve the soil, that is perhaps the correct reason. Now I'm wondering what will grow decently and do i need to dig half the soil out and put something else in? It's a planter box. Maybe I can swap it with soil from another box which I didn't grow lupins in. Ahh the joys! Seems like a lot of trouble for a few veg. i will struggle on when I get the time and try that option. Got something else I need to put my efforts into at present! I didn't think about the baby greens being grown hydroponically but yes it makes sense. I guess nutrients are nutrients whichever way the plant gets them. Force fed then I guess we'd get more than otherwise!
kay141,
Aug 27, 4:41pm
There are many reasons why people do not or can not go to markets at the weekends. They may be working, involved in sport, housebound, etc. etc. I have been to some farmers' markets where the supply of vegetables is practically non-existent, at many times of the year. The majority of vegetables at my local market are grown and sold by the market gardeners from Otaki and Levin. Great quality and supply but they are not organic. I try to go regularly but being on call means I can't always make it. So for many, the supermarkets are the choice and best of all for some, they deliver.
kaddiew,
Aug 27, 5:04pm
I wonder what you were doing wrong? Those same "inferior" lettuces easily keep up to 2 weeks, stored correctly, in my fridge.
kaddiew,
Aug 27, 5:40pm
We get the Otaki/Levin veg here too at my local Paraparaumu market. Agree, great quality and supply, and I'm not worried if they're not organic. And if I occasionally have to buy a lettuce from the supermarket, it hasn't killed me yet.
kay141,
Aug 27, 5:48pm
For me, baby spinach, lebanese cucumbers or salad mix are supermarket buy. It is only the fully grown spinach, never the baby available at the market. Nor are the other things ever for sale there.
I shop and cook for one most of the time and have no problem keeping those bags of salad greens good for best part of a week.
kevymtnz,
Aug 27, 6:11pm
what hogwash we should be reducing meat and increasing veges leave cheese out as its one of the worst foods to have apart from mcdonalds
mjhdeal,
Aug 27, 6:31pm
I didn't know about the baby/hydroponic vegetables either! It's good to know, informed choices, etc. I am not much of a gardener (i.e., lazy lol), but grow a few things, mainly my own tomatoes (commercial ones are uggghhhh) and my own greens. Not all my own greens - I can't grow enough to keep up with demand! However, I've started 'farming' (i.e., not pulling out) my edible weeds. dandelions, NZ spinach, and puha. They require no care or watering to grow, and they seed themselves!
mjhdeal,
Aug 27, 6:33pm
They are not saying reducing vegetables - just that commercial salad vegetables are not environmental/nutritional best choices.
And no-one is taking cheese away from me. Ever.
kevymtnz,
Aug 27, 6:38pm
well im guilty pizza once a month mccrap = never
uli,
Aug 27, 8:03pm
We all know how Mr Google is wrong so often :)
Definitely in this case! Brocolli as all cabbage family members are gross feeders (meaning they like to feed on "gross things" like manure, dead possums, the guts from the last homekill etc). So in no way would you have had too much nitrogen for your broccoli!
If anything wasn't great with the soil it would have been not enough lime as they love a more neutral soil.
And the other (most likely) option - root bound old (but small) seedling having been in the punnet for months, ran out of nutrients and went straight to seed when planted in rich soil (well that is what they try to do when they make a head - seeds - little do they know we cut it off and eat it long before!) to give at least some offspring a chance.
Especially in winter check carefully how those seedlings look that you buy - they could have been in that pot or punnet for months. They will then not go on to make a big plant (which is the precursor to a big head), but go straight up.
P.S.: For those that are not familiar with my type of humour: Gross feeders means they need lots of nitrogen. That includes the curcubitacea (cucumbers, pumpkins, melons etc), leeks, cabbages of all kinds, celeriac, garlic, corn and a few others. Nitrogen to feed them adequately comes out of sacks from the garden centre or farmers supply (much cheaper of course) or in the form of fur (sheeps wool mulch), animal manure, blood and urine or whole animals like possums and of course any non edible parts like goats heads or feet, guts, fish heads etc.
uli,
Aug 27, 8:06pm
Well I can tell you what the seller did wrong: He used too much nutrients when he started (we are talking 20 years ago) and so the lettuces were completely over fertilized and bitter and basically rotted with a terrible stench.
He has learned in the meantime to use the absolute minimum of the fertilizer mix and now it seems to work well. I never bought any of his lettuces anymore to try out though :)
uli,
Aug 27, 8:07pm
Well done - I do the same. NZ spinach is an ideal ground cover under fruit trees :) You could add chickweed and purslane to the list.
wendalls,
Nov 27, 7:01pm
Yes Uli you are probably right about my seedlings then. I did buy them from a small time roadside stall near my house, but maybe they d been sitting round. They sat at my place for a bit while I built a new planter box and moved all the soil out and back again. Actually only one has done that so far and is very spindly and tall. Maybe the others will do better. I added a bit of lime but without a testing kit its a guess isn't it! Maybe I will dig down in my compost heap and see if I can find some ready to go. It was covered in large garden waste until recently so I might find some black gold if I try hard! I also planted beans inside which is a bit early, I know. I've just planted them out to see what happens. they were getting very spindly.
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