>>1005255It is selective breeding. Yes, old lettuce varieties are more bitter and have more nutrients than modern ones. Originally, it was a medicinal plant and psychotropic used in rituals. Now it is just a crunchy watery salad green. If you want higher nutrient cultivars you'll need to get the older heirlooms. The ones with color are the best and are now making a strong return in stores.
It is really nice seeing more nutritious varieties of veggies in the stores one. In the 1980s and 1990s the selection was almost nothing at all. It seems the information age has helped with awareness. More people are growing their own food, nutritional value is being looked at more, and people are able to find more rare cultivars online and grow those.
>>1005267Yeah, most treated municipal water is really bad for crops. You may want to look into making a solar still. It will evaporate the water off, leaving most everything else behind. It is passive, so all you'd need to do is fill it up then empty the side that collects the condensation. You'd essentially be making rain water.
>>1005280>ripe supermarket pineapplesI had those, in the 1980s. They don't exist here anymore. I had to grow my own to bliss out on nostalgia.
>vine borersI want to try to develop a non-toxic white wash paint to paint the stems.
>>1005381Yeah, that looks like athracnose. Make sure it has well draining soil. That is the biggest thing. Putting it outside in the sun and wind will also help. Keep it out of the rain and don't water the leaves. This sort of thing happens when it is humid and rainy. There are various treatments, just google. The best thing is prevention by restricted watering/drainage and environment.
