The lettuce and spinach seeds I started earlier this month have begun to sprout although the germination rate is relatively low so far and none of the seedlings are big enough to do much with just yet. I’ve moved the pots with seedlings to an uncovered propagator on the kitchen table and that frees up a few slots in the smaller, covered one.

That’s good because I’ve got more I want to get going. Today I started another batch of komatsuna (a leafy green in the brassica family) and some winter purslane (Claytonia perfoliata, also known as miner’s lettuce). Both of these should produce salad leaves, possibly during the winter and certainly as we come into next spring.

I grew komatsuna earlier this year and found it did well in the polytunnel (12 harvests, typically a handful or two at a time) but was a waste of time at the allotment (both batches suffered with some sort of flea beetle leaf damage and I didn’t harvest anything). Starting it off in mid-autumn is experimental but I’ve got a decent amount of seed so I’ll see what happens and probably get another polytunnel batch going next spring. I’ve not grown the winter purslane before but it has a reputation for being pretty cold-tolerant. I’m expecting something along the lines of lamb’s lettuce, which has done well before, even outside.