Lettuces

[SpookyShoe]

I may have missed it, but I didn't see a thread for lettuces. I am able to grow baby salad greens in the cool months and will be starting some containers of mesclun mix soon. anyone else growing lettuces? I know that some grow the greens indoors. I have some seed packets left over from last year.

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[PlainJane]

My first batch of lettuce went into the bags 2 weeks ago.
I’ll start another batch in a week or so.
I’ve grown Renee’s garden lettuce blends before and had good results. My nearby garden center stocks lots of Renee’s Garden seed them making it easy to shop locally.

[bower]

I have some Sherwood mini romaines growing under lights. Slow, everything is growing really slow this year. Except cabbages. I have a mix growing for cut and come, and they are barely moving. Don't know what went wrong. Arugula has bolted. Time to start again!

[PNW_D]

Bower - check out another Charles Dowding video - he highly recommends vermiculite to lighten the seed starting mix for his lettuce - he does a comparison side by side with a compost mix - amazing results ........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pgcvN6TuE8

my favourite lettuce to date is Breen and I'm trying out a Salanova this year .....

[AZGardener]

I'm growing a few in a raised bed. Parris Island COS, Cimarron, Little Gem, and Freckles. I had to scale back due to health issues earlier this year so just grew a few of my favorites.

[peebee]

My garden looks like it's covered in weeds this time of year cuz it's all lettuces and other greens. Every square inch. I just sow randomly before the first rain around late Oct. Many also are from fallen seeds from last year. I'm busy trying to give it all away cuz I don't really enjoy eating salads during cold weather . I love the different colors & shapes & how easy they are to grow.

[bower]

Bower - check out another Charles Dowding video - he highly recommends vermiculite to lighten the seed starting mix for his lettuce - he does a comparison side by side with a compost mix - amazing results ........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pgcvN6TuE8

my favourite lettuce to date is Breen and I'm trying out a Salanova this year .....

Thanks! I've come around to using perlite even though I don't like the stuff - we have nothing volcanic anywhere near us so the "puffed rocks" are shipped in from far away (and they look like garbage to me). But it does make a difference to the potting mix. I don't see vermiculite on the shelves here. One problem with the cut and come lettuce, I may not have used enough perlite.
I also think the problem this year is that I bought a 'scoop' of compost instead of buying it bagged. It had been really rainy, so this was in the yard getting soggy before we bought it. Maybe some nutrient loss, and maybe picked up some less friendly organisms too. So there are spots on the lower lettuce leaves, which is common outdoors but less usual indoors under the lights. There was another difference too between the scoop and the bagged - more rocks and big bits. I think what is bagged gets an extra screening, and is bagged as soon as its finished with a more or less ideal moisture content too.
I was happy not to buy more bags, but now I think it would be be better to plan even further ahead, buy the compost during summer months when it's in top condition fresh and not wet, and put it in the old bags (which last forever and I have zillions of) to pull out for winter use. Sigh! No such thing as last minute gardening!

[Lonejack]

I have 18 lettuce plants going in 4" pots under lights. Half of it Muir and half is the various Salanova incised and summer crisp varieties from Johnny's. They were started on Thanksgiving day. I've harvested once and they are now ready for another. I also have 3 flats of microgreens under the lights in various stages of growth...a spicy mix of mustards, a radish mix, and a beet and chard mix. All from Johnny's.

I have good luck growing the greens in Promix BX but after awhile they tend to get some mold growing on the surface of the mix. I'll mist with a little diluted H2O2 to knock it back every week after I harvest. I can usually get 8 weekly harvests from the lettuce before it gets root bound. By then I need the room under the lights for the good stuff anyway.

[Cole_Robbie]

Lettuce in mum pots was a good seller for me during the very first few farmers markets, when the weather is cold and there is hardly anything green at the market.

Fred Hempel's farm sells seed to an Ethiopian Highland "kale" that is actually a mustard green. In addition to being delicious, it is the hardiest and easiest to grow green I have experienced. A few volunteer plants got abandoned in the high tunnel and went without water for two months. The weeds and grass around them died, but they were fine. I tasted a bit, expecting bitterness from the conditions, but could not taste any. It is truly a remarkable variety of green.

[SusieQ]

Lettuce in mum pots was a good seller for me during the very first few farmers markets, when the weather is cold and there is hardly anything green at the market.

That's a good tip! I'm curious as to what variety of lettuce you were selling in the mum pots.

[Cole_Robbie]

Lettuce in mum pots was a good seller for me during the very first few farmers markets, when the weather is cold and there is hardly anything green at the market.

That's a good tip! I'm curious as to what variety of lettuce you were selling in the mum pots.

I think I had Green Ice, and also a red variety, both from Morgan County Seed, as well as their mixed greens selection. I also had the Ethiopian mustard green I mentioned, and rainbow chard. I think the chard looked sad, but it sold well, people seemed to like it. Growing lettuce in a black plastic pot in the summer would be nearly impossible for me, but in the very early spring in the greenhouse it was super easy.

[TheDante]

By request - growing lettuce from seeds to maturity =) A mix of pictures from 2013-2019 - No artificial or synthetic fertilizers used.

Lettuce seeds sown - btw, I now cover a very thin layer of potting mix when I sow lettuce seeds and not leave them entirely exposed - works better this way and with plenty of vermiculite too. Lettuce seeds detest soggy conditions.

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[TheDante]

from pricking out (transplanting) to young developing seedlings - No artificial or synthetic fertilizers used.

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[TheDante]

baby plants planted out and developing nicely - slow and steady - No artificial or synthetic fertilizers used.

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[PhilaGardener]

If you like lettuce, check out Frank Morton's site
https://www.wildgardenseed.com/

Frank is a breeder of many interesting varieties and in addition to selected types offers breeder's material and segregating mixes for a more diverse salad. If you want to learn more about Frank and his contributions, here is a nice profile from High Mowing Seeds:
https://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog/se ... of-change/

(Disclaimer: I don't know Frank but have admired his work for a long time now! )

[TheDante]

Maturity - yay! - like paintings that would be fairly challenging to replicate - No artificial or synthetic fertilizers used.

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[MsCowpea]

Karen, just found these. Completely amazing. You should do workshops at your place, ala Charles Dowding. Or make videos. I really like his because usually he puts all the stages of growth in one video so you see something from start to finish.

The one problem I have with doing transplants is the extreme heat and rains we are experiencing in Sept in South Florida.
Just when you want to start them. Even Oct is becoming hotter. The little seedlings aren’t compact like yours , they are extremely tall or lanky from the heat. If you wait it is easier. That is why it is just easier to direct sew by broadcasting when the weather is cooler. And then do a Cut and Come Again or just cut and reseed. Saves your back as you don’t pick leaf by leaf.

But your pics are so beautiful I wish I had started some in Nov. for fun. May do some now as soon it will be too late.
I am glad you showed the seeds
coming up because I wondered how the lettuces could be kept apart but I see they look very distinct from each other.

How long does it take , in your covered green house to go from seeding to a transplant ready to plant?

[GoDawgs]

Dante, do you eat all of that lettuce or sell it at the market?

[roper2008]

Someone likes their lettuce TheDante! They are quite beautiful. Is it time to start lettuce now indoors? I have Red Sails seeds that I will be-trying this year.

[TheDante]

Dante, do you eat all of that lettuce or sell it at the market?

hey GoDawgs,

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo… .. I always give away our produce to friends, neighbours, family, the workers at the supermarket, our vet and dentist… anyone and everyone that I meet!

I can never sell our produce to anyone as I grow our stuff for ´fun´ and it brings so much joy and satisfaction and a sense of achievement and euphoria that hopefully by giving to the peeps, the same feeling kinda emanates to others. =)

I grew this much that I decided to grow ´some´ (i.e. a lot more) in 2017 and 2018. Read the thread below what I did with them.

btw, all the fruit and vegetables in our garden are grown in and with ´natural and organic´ ways and methods. No artificial or synthetic fertilizers used ever.

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