Cut and come again

I have garden fever. Going through seed catalogs is affectionately termed "Looking at porn". I'm likely at an unhealthy obsession level with it at the moment. I've been planning my garden, how I'm going to do some things, try new stuff and so on.

I want to do cut and come again lettuce this year, but I have a few questions about the matter. If you can answer any of these, please do!

1. What are your favorite heirloom cut and come again varieties?
2. How many times will they come again?
3. I ask the above because I would like to let them go to seed towards the end of the year so I can gather it.
4. Scissors, knife or hand? Your opinion matters, I've seen people fight for all of those and I'm curious about hearing from the community I trust.

Any other hints/tips? I was planning on seeding three or four rows, one a week for 3-4 weeks, then I should be able to have a constant rotation, if I have the idea down right.

Most varieties will work for cut-an-come again - your seed catalog will likely be your best guide.  If you can get a copy of West coast seeds or Johnny's seeds (usa) they have a lot of great information in the plant information as to uses of each seed and what it's suitable for. I like a variety - I often have 4 different mixes - a spicy blend, an asian (very spicy) blend, a cruncy romaine type blend and a more leafy/herbal blend. I often take left over seeds from the previous year and mix up my own blends of what ever I have. 

Most varieties will come back nice 3 or so cuttings, some more but they start getting more bitter with each growth so a younger plant is tastier even when the leaves are new and fresh.  

I cut mine with sharp scissors or kitchen shears - sharp is the key.  Sharp cuts will heal up quick, ragged cuts will result in poor healing and plant loss.  

You still have to ensure your plants are spaced out a bit if you are going to cut-and-come again, as the plants do need enough room to grow. I planted my cut-and-come again in single rows with about 1/2 inch between the seeds and 2 inches between the rows....easy to cut that way and easier to see any bad leaves, etc. that you don't want in your mix.  And I like baby leaves...often people plant way too many seeds for the space, and that will result in poor yields as the roots still need room to grow. I like baby leaves, and this was the perfect spacing for my climate for that - I don't like monstrous bitter leaves, they just go to waste - though I suppose with pigs now they won't.  Baby Kale is the best ever, and is amazing as a cut and come again.  You don't need alot of space. 

You need to keep lots of moisture on your plants - when you cut them they can dry out very quick, and use a lot of moisture to recoup.  That's partly why I plant my rows close, I can alternate rows and then the uncut row protects the soil in the cut row.  It's kinda a back and forth system.  It worked well for me.  Stagger your plantings too, so that when your 3 cuttings are done you have some fresh ones starting. 

And, when they do have a little bit of spacing, after cut 2 or 3, you can start pulling and thinning plants, giving the remainder a bit of room to stretch for the last cycle.  Still have leaves for you, and big fat stems for critters.

It's hitting me again too. Once fall comes I'm ready for the break, but already getting excited and making plans

Just finished ordering all my seeds and plugs for next year. I start planting mid February, so the winter is not so long for me. If you really need a garden fix get yourself some potting mix and some pea seeds. I start all my seeds under shop lights with one regular bulb and one grow bulb.when I am not starting bedding plants I use the lights for baby lettuce and micro greens. I haven't started any yet this winter, but I will after Christmas. The pea shoots are divine. Cut them at about 3 inches and add them to your salads. They do not come again, but they only take a week or so to grow. A healthy way to do a bit of indoor gardening before the spring! I will start cut and come again lettuce in pots in the greenhouse as soon as I heat it in March for an early spring treat. I use all kinds of varieties and cut them with scissors. The trick is good moisture, or they get bitter.

Ah, the gardening fix...sigh, can't make it through the winter without it! That reassurance that spring WILL come again, and I can play in the clay again, grin.
Play in the clay, play in the clay  
Got lots of seeds on the counter, even have them labelled this year, grin. Last year, it was, OH CRUD what squash did those come out of, this year, labelled.
Have seed potatoes and seedling sprouted poatoes, have seednuts stratifying, spring, spring, spring. Can you tell I can hardly wait, LOL Eating walnuts off a new tree this year, first ones, yummy too. Only one more pan left to roast in the oven, but they sure are good. Saved a few seednuts off of it too, hope they make trees with nuts just as tastey. One of the heart nuts has especially good nuts, must start a few off it too....
Anybody save corn over from year to year? I saved a cob each year from I can't remember what kind...sweet, old fashioned full flavour, I only grow that one kind now, but it was probably pollinated by several kinds when I still grew more than one variety. Some are tall, some short, all sweet and all mid seasonish.

I plant a short row of Romaine and jut cut off whatever I need whenever I need it with scissors all season long.  It appears to grow back as many times as I want to cut it, but realistically I probably don't cut most of the plants more than 2 or 3 times.

Catalogues are coming...I"m getting twitchy...    

I got Vesey's 2014 in my mailbox yesterday *Faints* WANT TO GROW NOW! I've been considering buying those Mary Jane grow op tent things so I can have a non Mary Jane garden in the winter of microgreens and so on. Would be good seed starting too!

Anyway, I think I might order potatoes from them.

... Off topic

ANYWAY! (and the greens, maybe the greens) I want to collect seed from the cut-and-come-agains, or, what I might to, is have a separate patch I grow out for seed. We'll have pigs by then, so the bitter greens could just be given to them. win win, I think!

black seeded simpson is good for cut and come again, and sets seed nicely here. It's a leaf lettuce, but if you like leaf lettuce, it's a tastey one.