Couple of years ago, we had a lovely watermelon vine appear in a flowerbed by the back of the garage. The kids evidently while outside eating watermelon had a spitting contest. That vine produced the sweetest watermelons we've ever grown, guess they liked the rotted manure, compost, and potting soil that has been building up over the years in that flower bed. The neighbors thought it was a hoot.

I would second the idea of liquid fertilizer. Use something organic. A couple of things to consider: First, lettuce and spinach grow very quickly, and you should accommodate that rapid growth cycle by providing them all they need in a readily available form. Granular organic fertilizers generally take too long to break down. That's not to say that they take an unreasonable amount of time to do so, just that these particular plants have such a quick growth cycle that waiting even just a couple weeks for the nitrogen in granular fertilizers to become bioavailable is too long. The second thing to consider is that spring soils are still cool, and the bacteria that fix nitrogen and convert it from one form to another are not fully active yet. What's more, nitrogen does not cling to soil particles very well, and thus gets flushed out of soil by spring rains. Putting these factors together makes a pretty strong case for providing extra nitrogen in a quickly available from for lettuce, spinach, and other fast growing spring greens. Fish emulsion works extremely well, or if you're particularly beholden to Miracle Grow, then try their new Organic Choice All Purpose Plant Food. It's high in nitrogen (8-0-0) and is made from beet molasses. I never thought I would recommend a Miracle Grow product, but in fact I have tried it and it works quite well. Walmart and the big box stores usually carry it. See here: http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod10280006&itemId=cat70048 -Diggity Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Imperative blog

It seems the oldest records of lettuce may be in Egypt but elsewhere we read it was a popular vegetable in ancient China. The oldest records of spinach I can find seem to be in India but it seems to have been made popular in what is now Italy. How the ancients have decide to eat this and not that has always been of interest to me. Usually, I presume, we will never really know the hows and whys of these things.

if you've already done your raised beds you have the hard part done. just buy a packet of seeds or a 6 pack of plants (nurseries & garden centers should have). you can start them now through about february, but you'll get more over time by doing it now. follow the instructions on the packet for the seeds or plant the plugs. it's really that easy. you don't need to worry with rows if you don't want, and you can even make designs with the red and green types. don't cover lettuce seeds with dirt- they need light to germinate. you may want to lightly cover with sheer fabric or reemay/row cover(also at the garden centers) to keep the birds from snacking on your babies or seed. reemay will also extend the harvest as it gets colder, but it isn't necessary. the lettuce will lift it as it grows, or you can prop it up with sticks. keep it reasonably moist but not soggy & you'll quickly see germination if the seed is good. the seed lasts for a few yrs if kept dry and reasonably cool. seed is a much more economical way to do lettuce, but if you're anxious for plants, you could try a few 6 packs and seed also, so you get the lettuce at harvestable size sooner, then more as the seedlings in turn get big enough to harvest. grow as much as you have room for- it's addictive and easy to give away if you get too much. for one person, i'd plant at least a 4'x 4' area. more if you really eat a lot of salads. lettuce grows fast in the right conditions- cool & moist. you can pick at most any size. some mixes are made specifically to harvest tiny (usually called mesclun or cut & come again). as the lettuce bolts, typically as it gets hot in spring, it will get bitter. just stop eating it when it's too bitter for you. really, starting with lettuce is one of the easiest veggies you can possibly do. oh, and don't worry with the headig types- go for looseleaf. some nice companions to winter lettuce are radishes (also super easy from seed) and green onions. buy a bag of the little onions & plant them, and you'll have green onions in about 6 weeks. or so. nothing's better with a steamy bowl of soup & fresh bread on a winter day. spinach is similar to lettuce- you space it out a bit more, is all, which is easy since the seed's bigger. mmm mm. enjoy! don't be afraid- just dig in! tammy