Replacing lettuce

[kailaeve1271]

Due to increase in cost for veggies I have decided to grow my own veggies for my pigs and bunnies, however, I’ve noticed lettuce is a winter crop. Bok Choy, on the other hand, is growing just fine in my garden. Would it make an adequate replacement for the green leaf lettuce that I usually give them?

All other veggies, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc, are doing just fine

[bpatters]

It's very high in calcium compared to lettuce.

[kailaeve1271]

Oh! okay. I did not know that. Hmm.. does anyone know of a leafy green that would make a good replacement? I would consider testing the bok choy a little at a time, but my pigs have had calcium problems in the past. I dont think I want to risk that

[bpatters]

I don't know of anything. I'd suggest just biting the bullet and buying lettuce. I never pay more than 79 cents a head in the summer time, and it's often even cheaper than that.

[GrannyJu1]

I grew leaf lettuce, spinach, and parsley one year. They did fine until the heat of August hit. It was like overnight and everything wilted. Of course I didn't know the first thing about growing the stuff and how much it needs shade. Or that spinach and parley should used sparingly for the pigs. I like the stuff for ME though, so now it's good. I'm thinking of trying again this year.

[lisam]

Here are some good ideas for growing lettuce in summer:
https://www.thespruce.com/keep-lettuce- ... er-1403428

[kailaeve1271]

I live in Georgia so the heat here in the summer is near unbearable but I’ll definitely try it! Thank you! Also buying lettuce in the summer here cost over $2.50 a head. I generally go through 2 heads per week and I’ve also found in the summer they are usually starting to rot in the stores. Definitely not something I like to feed my guinea pigs. I try to give them the healthiest I can, but if this doesn’t work I’ll just have to go for it and tear off a lot of the lettuce

[bpatters]

That's a ridiculous cost for lettuce. It's usually 79 cents a head at the cheapest here, with an occasional sale down to 69 cents. The most expensive is usually 99 cents, although it can go to $1.19 or $1.29 if some weather event damages a large area of lettuce-growing country.

[Lynx]

It is perhaps 99 cents here much of the time. Where he/she is, it likely is not at all local.

What kind of lettuce is $2.50 a head?

[kailaeve1271]

She :) and it is not local. Any small farmers markets nearby don’t have lettuce either right now so I can’t exactly get any from them and town (where I’m buying my lettuce) is pretty far too about a 30-45 minute drive depending on traffic. Also Leaf Lettuce (both green and red) are $2.50 at the moment. Romaine is less but my pigs get heavy calcium deposits when they eat Romaine

[kailaeve1271]

Also where I live most of the year it is way too hot to get lettuce to grow from what I’m now researching. That’s why the price is jacked up. We have to get it shipped from more northern states. Plus I live in the middle of nowhere and to get lettuce brought to the nearest small town stores probably also effects the price

[LittleSqueakers]

Hiya! I live in Chattanooga, just north of the GA-TN state line. I can confirm that a decent head of green leaf lettuce here is around $2 in the grocery store most of the year. I've never seen it in farmers' markets around here either.

My mom used to grow little gem lettuces in the spring and early summer when we lived in Woodstock. They needed a lot of shade and had a drip-line system set up to keep them watered. I wonder if these would be an acceptable substitute for green leaf? I don't think you can grow them very well all summer long, but maybe you could grow them during the parts of the year that are cooler? At the least it could help offset the cost of having to buy it in the store the rest of the year.