Maintaining Manoa lettuce

Last week I wrote that I didn’t have much hope for the Manoa lettuce I bedded in with the cosmos I’d harvested, but perhaps I should have had more faith. Of the eight seeds I dropped in, three have decided to go for it.

My expectations are still low, since I’d sown seed from the same batch several months ago, and the two plants who emerged have failed to take off. That batch came off of a handful of small lettuce heads who decided they’d had enough neglect and would force the issue by going to seed.

I didn’t clean the seed, and some of it is still attached to the stalks, so it’s hard to say how much I’ve got on hand — maybe a few dozen? Although it might not be optimal seed stock, this batch still feels precious. I believe Maya said Takii was discontinuing sales of Manoa lettuce, and if that’s the case, I’d like to do my part to maintain the line. Chances are unlikely I’ll succeed, but today I tossed another ten seeds into a pot to see if I can’t keep things puttering along.