Growing lettuce

[chancethegardener]

I am eager to hear how everyone grows lettuce. Do you start seeds in trays first and then transplant them or do you direct seed? I would be more than happy to hear the steps of growing the perfect lettuce since this is the most frustrating vegetable for me to grow. What kind of soil do you use, how do you fertilize and water them? I have always direct seeded it but I am planning to start the plants in trays and let them stay there until they become strong, and then transplant them. One most annoying factor that pushes me to do this way is Florida's rainstorms, especially the ones that occur when the lettuce seedlings are small. Heavy rain knocks them off and most seedlings can't recover after that.

[Tania]

I always start in seed trays in February and then transplant to the garden in early April, after the last frost.

If I direct seed, all the seedlings would be consumed by slugs that are in great abundance here. Plus it gives me a good head start, so I can get the seeds by the end of the season.

[chancethegardener]

Hi Tania, thanks for the response. So after they develop some leaves in the trays, do you transplant them into soil with some compost before planting them in the garden or do you already have fertilizer in the seed trays where you started the seeds. How do you fertilize/give them the boost they need before transplanting them in the garden? By the way, your lettuce plants are so adorable, I love the pictures of healthy greens!

[halleone]

My best method is a natural approach - each year I let a few different varieties go to seed, purposely knocking into them to disperse seeds, or when it is garden clean-up time, waving the pulled up plants/seed stalks around in the general area I want them to be. In the spring, they germinate on their own timing, popping up here and there. I just tranplant them if they aren't exactly where I want them, or let them grow where they are. They always seem to be far healthier and grow better than my started-inside plants. And we get below zero temps here in the winter, too. Sturdy little buggers.

[Tania]

I first transplant to individual 2" pots into the soiless mix, after the sprouts are large enough to safely handle. Then they go into the garden bed. I do not bother with any fertilizer during the seedling stage, but some composted horse manure goes into the beds before the lettuces are moved there.

[RayR]

I do the same as Tania, except I do fertilize them in the 2" cells with diluted liquid fish/seaweed. I've also mixed in a little Espoma Plant-Tone in the potting mix which seems to make them grow even faster. I don't think it matters much about the potting mix, any decent mix will do. They are not like Tomatoes or Peppers where you are going to baby them for 6-8 weeks. For lettuce from seed to final transplant may only take 3-4 weeks.
I grow 2 crops of lettuce a year here, one started in April and one started mid-August for the fall crop. I don't have a bed that is only for lettuce usually, I plant them everywhere there is some free space in the ground and in the containers, I grow a lot of lettuce plants along the edges of the Tomato beds in spring

[chancethegardener]

Hi Ray. So you generally apply foliar spray, is that correct? I have a (1-1-1) liquid solution that I can mix with water.
Also, when the seedlings are in the tray, how do you water them? Do you put the tray in a container and fill the container with water as needed? Because otherwise water from watering can/hose knocks the seedlings off.
Also, do you plant one seed in each cell or more than that?
What lettuce varieties are those in the picture? They look beautiful!

[RayR]

Originally Posted by chancethegardener

Hi Ray. So you generally apply foliar spray, is that correct? I have a (1-1-1) liquid solution that I can mix with water.
Also, when the seedlings are in the tray, how do you water them? Do you put the tray in a container and fill the container with water as needed? Because otherwise water from watering can/hose knocks the seedlings off.
Also, do you plant one seed in each cell or more than that?
What lettuce varieties are those in the picture? They look beautiful!

You can do it as a foliar, but I'm more interested in the root development so I put it right in the soil. If you spray it generously, I guess it would be like watering the soil from the top anyway. Otherwise put the 6 pack cells or 2" pots in a watertight tray and water from the bottom, less messy too.
One seed per cell?...no way. If you've got good seed, you should get at least 80% germination but not every one of the seedlings will be a keeper. I'll plant like 12 seeds per cell and take the best from what develops and plant each in an individual cells like Tania does. I always have more that I need, but that's better than not having enough. I give away some of my excess seedlings. For the spring planting in my garden I usually have 100 plants or so in the ground of different varieties and I don't have a huge garden. Lettuce grows fast and doesn't take up a lot of space, makes a good companion plant for slower growing crops and you can pick individual leaves at any time to make a salad. I let some plants bolt and go to seed so I have fresh seed for next year if I need it. Even one lettuce plant can make hundreds or thousands of seeds.

The plant on the left is Rouge Grenobloise, the one on the right is Red Deer Tongue. Both of these varieties are slow bolting, so they are some of the last survivors in July summer heat here.

[peebee]

Don't know about your zone, but here in So CA where I live, lettuces and greens are considered a cool season crop so we would be direct seeding just about now. I prepare the beds and scatter a safe snail bait around the very far perimeter and then sow, but that is for new varieties. My older varieties reseed and come up every year after the first rains, so I never have to worry.
I've tried to grow during the summer, but they bolt quickly and I also do not care for the "summer" lettuces out there that are recommended.