Anyone start Lettuce indoors??? - Page 2

lakelady · February 19, 2013

Since you are in North carolina, why not just sow them in pots on the patio or deck now? If it is too cold they will not sprout, and they will naturally just sprout when the time is right in your zone. I just wintersowed some lettuces and spinach in the milk jugs this past weekend because indoor space is at a premium here for plants.

I also am testing the pot method. I watered well, seeded, and covered with clear plastic with lots of holes poked in for ventilation. But it's quite a bit colder where I am.

**nctomatoman** · February 20, 2013

I grew lettuce all winter long in big pots in our driveway - we get a nice salad about weekly from it....my big challenge this spring in the big garden will be hoping last year's groundhog attack doesn't happen again!

GoGayleGo · March 1, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by hornstrider

I grow lettuce in my greenhouse in the winter. I start my seed in a 10" pot filled w/ a good potting mix

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/w...psfc868dbe.jpg

I dig seedlings out w/ a shovel, or spoon, and plant into a 4" pot, This is 12/23/12

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps943e55f6.jpg

Let mature in 4" pot, and plant into an earthbox This is 1/2/13

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps72cd89fe.jpg

Mature lettuce in earth box that I have been picking every night. I have 4 earth boxes w. lettuce. Pictured is Buttercrunch. I also gor Red Sails the same way. It takes approx 6 weeks from seed to table. This is 1/25/13.

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps94b1248a.jpg

Lettuce for dinned last night

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps92574a61.jpg

I'm about to try lettuce/spinach in homemade earthboxes....are your boxes outside? Do you have a light fixture over them (it looks that way in one of the pictures). I plan to sow the spinach directly this weekend, and start the lettuces indoors. Your lettuce plants look pretty big, can you grow them to maturity indoors, or do they do better outside?

Redbaron · March 1, 2013

Will start potting up my Romaine Lettuce as soon as I get off the computer.

hornstrider · March 1, 2013

Gogayle........I grow in my greenhouse during the fall, and winter. I use Earthboxes (4ea) to grow my lettuce. I just plant the lettuce seedlings into the potting mix. I do not use the plastic mulch. I water just like i would a potted lettuce plant.

Durgan · March 2, 2013

Sometimes I grow from seed, but find it more convenient to purchase a few plants in flats from a local supplier. The small seedling are then placed in a larger container in the greenhouse to establish a good root system before planting outside. I usually put two batches in before it gets to hot for good production. This give me a total of 16 plants. I use some fresh and juice the remainder for off season use. With the garden it is either feast or famine meaning large quantities of produce or none, so preservation becomes a major issue.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KFPEM 26 May 2012 Juicing Garden Produce
Requiring some juice, it was decided to utilize he slim pickings from the garden. Available were radishes, rhubarb, Romaine lettuce, columbine flowers, chives. In the kitchen were some apples and soy bean sprouts. All were combined in a pot with about four litres of water, and cooked about twenty minutes and beat into a mash or slurry with the hand blender. The cooked mash or slurry was then strained using a mechanical strainer. The residue from the strainer was put through the Champion juicer to extract the maximum nutrients. This output was mixed with the strainer output. The end product was placed in five,one litre jars and pressure canned at 15 PSI for 15 minutes. My usual method.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?UOQES 27 May 2012 Romain Lettuce Growth
Romain Lettuce is thriving. A plant was utilized yesterday, which was almost perfect. It could be a bit larger.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XGXGG 29 April 2012 Romaine Lettuce.
Romaine lettuce planted outdoors. The plants were purchased in flats and individually planted in pots to establish a strong root system and kept in the greenhouse for ten days. Pictures depict the operation.

February 19, 2013	#16
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	Since you are in North carolina, why not just sow them in pots on the patio or deck now? If it is too cold they will not sprout, and they will naturally just sprout when the time is right in your zone. I just wintersowed some lettuces and spinach in the milk jugs this past weekend because indoor space is at a premium here for plants. I also am testing the pot method. I watered well, seeded, and covered with clear plastic with lots of holes poked in for ventilation. But it's quite a bit colder where I am. __________________ Antoniette

February 20, 2013	#17
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	I grew lettuce all winter long in big pots in our driveway - we get a nice salad about weekly from it....my big challenge this spring in the big garden will be hoping last year's groundhog attack doesn't happen again! __________________ Craig

March 1, 2013	#19
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	Will start potting up my Romaine Lettuce as soon as I get off the computer. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

March 1, 2013	#20
hornstrider Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Hutto, Texas Posts: 230	Gogayle........I grow in my greenhouse during the fall, and winter. I use Earthboxes (4ea) to grow my lettuce. I just plant the lettuce seedlings into the potting mix. I do not use the plastic mulch. I water just like i would a potted lettuce plant.

March 2, 2013	#21
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	Sometimes I grow from seed, but find it more convenient to purchase a few plants in flats from a local supplier. The small seedling are then placed in a larger container in the greenhouse to establish a good root system before planting outside. I usually put two batches in before it gets to hot for good production. This give me a total of 16 plants. I use some fresh and juice the remainder for off season use. With the garden it is either feast or famine meaning large quantities of produce or none, so preservation becomes a major issue. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KFPEM 26 May 2012 Juicing Garden Produce Requiring some juice, it was decided to utilize he slim pickings from the garden. Available were radishes, rhubarb, Romaine lettuce, columbine flowers, chives. In the kitchen were some apples and soy bean sprouts. All were combined in a pot with about four litres of water, and cooked about twenty minutes and beat into a mash or slurry with the hand blender. The cooked mash or slurry was then strained using a mechanical strainer. The residue from the strainer was put through the Champion juicer to extract the maximum nutrients. This output was mixed with the strainer output. The end product was placed in five,one litre jars and pressure canned at 15 PSI for 15 minutes. My usual method. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?UOQES 27 May 2012 Romain Lettuce Growth Romain Lettuce is thriving. A plant was utilized yesterday, which was almost perfect. It could be a bit larger. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XGXGG 29 April 2012 Romaine Lettuce. Romaine lettuce planted outdoors. The plants were purchased in flats and individually planted in pots to establish a strong root system and kept in the greenhouse for ten days. Pictures depict the operation.