Spontaneous lettuces

[angharad_gam]

A couple of years ago, when we first put in the vegie beds out the back, I planted some lettuce seed. The lettuces germinated, but that was a very cold, damp winter, and the back garden is rather sheltered, so they never really grew beyond seedling size. Then when summer came along they died. Every year since then, around this time of year, lettuces seedlings have sprouted in the same spot, with the same result. This puzzles me somewhat. No lettuce has ever grown enough to bolt to seed, and lettuce seed is not especially large or robust (ie I cannot imagine that the original seed is still surviving in the ground). I can only assume that some kind of root structure is surviving and regrowing leaves every winter. Anyway, given the relatively warm and sunny weather we have had through most of June, it seems like we might get some actual lettuces out of them this time round. This is assuming the Thing doesn't find them first.

In other news, I looked at my hands yesterday and thought 'hey, for once all my nails are nearly the same length' (presumably because I have been too sick to do much gardening lately). I then proceeded to break three in the course of the next 12 hours...