Lettuce

I love the cool lettuce season almost as much as I love the tomatoes and peppers. I think I'm going to go plant some today in a raised bed/cold frame. It has been a pretty mild winter and I usually start planting it around Valentine's day even if I'm just tossing some seeds on top of the snow.

I usually do leaf lettuce, never had much luck growing head lettuce like Iceberg. Sometimes I'll plant it very closely in a patch, sometimes I give it a little room and let them form into nice heads/bunches and pick the whole thing. Either way, I eat tons of salad until it starts bolting.

After it bolts I usually let some of it flower and save a bunch of seeds for next year.

Also it looks like lettuce is really good for you, almost up there with spinach, I always feel better after I start eating a bunch of it for awhile. Anyways, here's an example of when I plant it densely, with some kale on one end. It usually doesn't form big plants close together but you still get tons of lettuce.

vostok said:

Even for a modern family thats a lot of lettuce to get thru?​

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Not for us really, that's a 4x4 patch of lettuce and a 1x4 patch of kale. My gf and I have a big salad almost every night when we have lettuce in the garden and I'll often have one for lunch. I usually plant a lot more than what's in the bed in the ground.too. We always have some that bolts when it warms up but we eat a lot of it and I like to have plenty available. Love the lettuce.

I did notice last year that it became a little too dense inside the raised bed and towards the end of it, when it started to warm up a little out, it was hard to water it without some of it starting to rot. So I'm thinking I won't plant it that dense inside the covered bed again.

You guys ever try hydroponic lettuce? I just got some butterhead seeds I'm gonna give it a try In rockwool.

willienelson1stgrow said:

You guys ever try hydroponic lettuce? I just got some butterhead seeds I'm gonna give it a try In rockwool.

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I've never tried hydro anything but hydroponics seems like the way to go for a leafy indoor crop like lettuce. I bet it would grow fast, keep us updated.

I'll be starting to plant some lettuce over the next week or so as this snow melts and it warms up a little, can't wait to have a big salad everyday of freshly picked lettuce. I have several oz's of lettuce seeds I saved last year to plant this year. I have some heirloom varieties that I got a very small fall crop of last year that was the tastiest lettuce I've had, I'll probably make it my main lettuce next year after I save some seeds from it this year.

butter crunch seeds sprouted in rockwool. 1/4 strength flora series nutes, 5.9ph. Under a 300w led panel from ebay.Looks lIke 100% germination, 8 cubes 4 seeds per cube. Next time I'll only use one.

willienelson1stgrow said:

butter crunch seeds sprouted in rockwool. 1/4 strength flora series nutes, 5.9ph. Under a 300w led panel from ebay.Looks lIke 100% germination, 8 cubes 4 seeds per cube. Next time I'll only use one.View attachment 3365433
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Nice, I think they will grow fast! I would let the ones with 4 in it grow and see what they do. I'm thinking you'll get about the same amount of lettuce from 4 of them as you will from 1 large head.

I'm gonna try a mix of 1-4 seeds per cube.

I really got to get my growing organized, often I have tomatoes or cucumbers and other lettuce or salad stuff growing ...the deal is I have shop for the rest
that just pisses me off, but I will get organized for next winter, the last I had a great crop of strawberries 7 months ahead of everyone else ...
It was really difficult trying to my mouth shut about that, as members here will know ....I have trouble with that ...lol

willienelson1stgrow said:

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Looking good! I need an indoor setup that produces 20lbs of spring mix a week, doesn't take up too much space or use too much electricity.

willienelson1stgrow said:

You guys ever try hydroponic lettuce? I just got some butterhead seeds I'm gonna give it a try In rockwool.

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I have! And I already harvested a batch (Midwest USA, still winter) using Dr. Kratky's method.
Black seeded Simpson.

That looks delicious, you reminded me i hadnt had lunch yet

Diabolical666 said:

That looks delicious, you reminded me i hadnt had lunch yet

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I also have some different types of tomatoes going using the same method. About 6+ inches tall and some are already starting to show flower buds. Lettuce under two bulb florescent shop light with grow bulbs while the tomatoes and cucumbers are under a 400W MH. General purpose yard feed that goes into a hose sprayer. No PH testing. Most will end up outdoors but some will get put into 5 gal. buckets using the Kratky method to try and have a year round veg. garden.
I am not sure of head lettuce, but leaf lettuce grows FAST.

Dirty Harry said:

I also have some different types of tomatoes going using the same method. About 6+ inches tall and some are already starting to show flower buds. Lettuce under two bulb florescent shop light with grow bulbs while the tomatoes and cucumbers are under a 400W MH. General purpose yard feed that goes into a hose sprayer. No PH testing. Most will end up outdoors but some will get put into 5 gal. buckets using the Kratky method to try and have a year round veg. garden.
I am not sure of head lettuce, but leaf lettuce grows FAST.

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My veg room is packed with veggies I started from seed waaaayyy too early. I didnt think they would grow that fast...my 1st time starting my garden indoors Hurry up and get warm already!

Diabolical666 said:

My veg room is packed with veggies I started from seed waaaayyy too early. I didnt think they would grow that fast...my 1st time starting my garden indoors Hurry up and get warm already!

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I've been holding off on starting stuff inside because all I've got are a few shop lights for them, starting a tray of tomatoes and peppers today. I planted some lettuce outside the last couple days including some heirloom mix with some of the speckled heirloom lettuce in it. I got a couple mature plants last fall and it was the best lettuce yet. Here's a couple photos of them when they were babies. This year I intend on collecting a lot of seed from them.

Dave's Not Here said:

I've been holding off on starting stuff inside because all I've got are a few shop lights for them, starting a tray of tomatoes and peppers today. I planted some lettuce outside the last couple days including some heirloom mix with some of the speckled heirloom lettuce in it. I got a couple mature plants last fall and it was the best lettuce yet. Here's a couple photos of them when they were babies. This year I intend on collecting a lot of seed from them.

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Planting lettuce and strawberrries tmrw....found 3 of those topsy turvy things at a garage sale for a buck a piece unused. Never seen these strawberry topsys, same idea I had with the 5 gal paint buckets (drill holes in the side for plants to grow out). Putting strawberries in 2 (making wine when harvest ), and lettuce in the other.(Starting from seed in peats first tho) 1st timer doing lettuce, any tips or tricks to share?

Diabolical666 said:

Planting lettuce and strawberrries tmrw....found 3 of those topsy turvy things at a garage sale for a buck a piece unused. Never seen these strawberry topsys, same idea I had with the 5 gal paint buckets (drill holes in the side for plants to grow out). Putting strawberries in 2 (making wine when harvest ), and lettuce in the other.(Starting from seed in peats first tho) 1st timer doing lettuce, any tips or tricks to share?

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Go with a leaf lettuce, I can't grow a head of iceberg lettuce for anything. Lettuce is really easy and I don't think you'll have any problems... I just cleared the straw and leaves off my raised beds the other day and sprinkled some seeds around, gave them a light spray with a hose and I should have a lot of lettuce soon. It will bolt when it gets around 85 out for awhile and then it will taste awful... if you leave it growing it will go to seed over the summer and it's easy to save the seeds.

willienelson1stgrow said:

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That would be funny if the seed shells stayed on the leaves throughout its life lol.