Anyone start Lettuce indoors???

[gssgarden]

Wasn't sure where to post this but Herbs sounded ok...

Thinking about starting indoors. Have some Romaine, a Spicy Mesclun mix, gourmet blend of Reds and Greens, Arugula, and Spinach.

Can all these be started indoors? Spinach too?

Sure would make spacing easier!

Do I separate them like tomato seeds when they get big? Do they handle transplanting well?

I know they don't want heat, just moisture and then sunlight.

Any help would be great!

Thanks,

Greg

[mdvpc]

Greg-I do start indoors, plant out later outside, or in my inside hydroponics system.

[decherdt]

I find lettuces easy to start in media, indoors then transplant. Had some trouble germinating spinach. I read something about starting them in cold to cool temps. Now I papertowel and baggie sprout spinach in the refrigerator, (about 2 weeks), pot up in media inside for a while, then plant out. I still start 3-4 seeds for every spinach transplant.

This is a link to germination temps as related to days and percentages.YMMV.

http://tomclothier.hort.net/page11.html

Oh yeah, have to use fresh seed, last years does not de well for me.

[gssgarden]

Good info Decherdt! IAll my seed is from alst year. Had too much left over.

Start in the garage maybe??

Should I throw a few seeds in each cell and cut what i don't want? Can they be pulled apart like toms and survive??

Greg

[nctomatoman]

I start it indoors just like tomatoes - thickly planted in plug flat cells - they separate easily and transplant well - I move them to 4 inch pots, 4 to 6 plants to a pot, after they get some true leaves.

[tgplp]

I start it inside every year to get an earlier start. I also do it because it is so easy to space exactly where you want, and it is fun to jumpstart your garden by putting lettuce/spinach plants in, instead of just seeds.

Here is what I do:
In Janaury, I usually start some Spinach, Swiss Chard, and Kale. Grow exactly like tomatoes, but no heat lamps/heat pads or any heating sources, and try to keep always moist. After they get tiny true leaves, I transplant them to slightly bigger coir pots. I disturb their roots without meaning too, and accidently snapped a spinach's stem, and they are still growing now!! Just try to be careful, but they usually do fine for me when I transplant them. After a couple weeks growing in their bigger containers, I start hardening them off. I leave them out overnight a couple nights before I plant them outside. And actually, today I am planting the spinach, swiss chard, and kale in my hoophouse and garden!

As for lettuce, it's basically the same exact thing but I sow them a couple weeks later, because they are not as hardy. I will probably start hardening them off soon.

Good luck! It's fun.
Taryn

[b54red]

Lettuce is very easy to start. I have had good luck with lettuce seed for about 3 years before I have to order more. I keep my lettuce seed in a refrigerator inside a Tupperware container with a little rice to soak up any moisture that might get trapped inside. I always set the container out and let it get to the outside temperature before opening to stop any moisture from condensing inside. I have had the best luck with seed for lettuce from http://www.cooksgarden.com/vegetables/lettuce/

I use egg cartons and fill each cell with damp seed starting mix then put anywhere from 3 to 6 seed in each cell and wet well with a spray bottle then cover it lightly with a little plastic wrap. Lettuce will sprout much better if it is not covered after sowing because light seems to help it sprout faster. Once I get a fair amount sprouted I remove the plastic wrap. As soon as the lettuce gets about 3/4 of an inch tall I move it outside so it can get sunlight and fertilize it with liquid fertilizer when it gets about an inch tall. I move it back inside if very heavy rain or very cold weather is expected. When it gets about 3 inches tall just pull out each plug and separate and plant.

[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

[shelleybean]

I have also started lettuce, spinach, chard, cole crops inside easily. I do just like my tomatoes. I keep my grow lights in my laundry room and it's unheated so it works well at this time of year. Spinach seed only keeps a year or two so start with fairly fresh seed. Like many here, I store my seeds in the crisper in the garage fridge.

[Farmette]

I started lettuce indoors last year, later putting them under the lights. It was my first time starting lettuce and I ended up with a bad case of thrips, which I thought I read somewhere, is what can happen with lettuce.

[Cole_Robbie]

It is of course a toxic pesticide, but just fyi the ear tags used for cattle to deter flies are wickedly deadly to thrips, which are a type of fly. Using them indoors goes against the manufacturer recommendations, and you're not supposed to touch the tags with your bare hands. But unlike sprays they don't have to touch your plants, which is what I like. Plus you can put them away in a few days after all the thrips are dead.

[bboomer]

Yes, start indoors. Lettuce seedlings are tough! Get a few started in peat pots or even a big pot and plant (after hardening off) them in one by one. Works like a charm.

[Stvrob]

I make little round 1" diameter X 1" tall soil blocks and set them in cookie sheets and keep a supply of lettuce seedlings ready to move into the garden, as space becomes available. The lettuce spot in the garden is a little too small, so space is a premium. We keep harvesting lettuce all thru the winter here though.

[Redbaron]

My lettuce (romaine) started sprouting 2 days ago and they went outside for the first time today to toughen them up for transplanting into pots. I figure about 2 weeks of taking them outside all day and inside at night and they will be ready to pot up and leave outside in a cold frame. Then as soon as it looks like no more frosts they will go in the ground. I direct seed leaf lettuce though.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by decherdt

I find lettuces easy to start in media, indoors then transplant. Had some trouble germinating spinach. I read something about starting them in cold to cool temps. Now I papertowel and baggie sprout spinach in the refrigerator, (about 2 weeks), pot up in media inside for a while, then plant out. I still start 3-4 seeds for every spinach transplant.

This is a link to germination temps as related to days and percentages.YMMV.

http://tomclothier.hort.net/page11.html

Oh yeah, have to use fresh seed, last years does not de well for me.

I finally found the solution to poor spinach germination. Use UltraSorb from Auto Zone to start your seed. I had nearly 90% germination from even 3 year old seed using the DE. I used egg cartons with small holes so the DE doesn't run out when bottom watering. I placed two seed in each bottom watered cell filled nearly to the top with the DE and then lightly covered with dry DE and let it wet then moved out of the bottom watering tray. Almost all of the cells had two nice seedlings in a week or so. Just clip off the weaker one and give them a little very dilute Miracle Grow with bottom watering whenever the DE starts drying out and when large enough just transplant straight from the egg cartons with no need to pot up. One thing to remember is to make sure you bottom water before you transplant and use a spoon to scoop out the DE. If you try to transplant when the DE is too dry it will fall away from the roots and transplanting will not be nearly as successful.