Always pick your lettuce where it meets the stalk. You are probably feeling pretty confident about growing lettuce from seed by now. I really like lettuce because it’s quick and easy to grow like you said and works well in pots. While there are hundreds of varieties of lettuce you can grow, I am recommending 4 kinds to choose from. Lettuce is such a great beginner plant because as you said there really is nothing to it except to toss the seeds on the soil. So, the best time to plant lettuce seeds is as soon as the ground is workable in very early spring, or once the temps start to cool down in late summer or early fall. If it’s too hot, they won’t germinate. potting mix (if growing in containers) a cool location. If you decide to keep your Lettuce in the pots then there is no need to transplant. lettuce seeds. This will be our first time growing it and we can’t wait. If you don’t have an area that will stay consistently around 50-65 degrees, I would recommend investing in a Plant Heating Mat. How can you germinate lettuce seeds faster? But in the fall temperatures are cooling making it the perfect time for lettuce growing. Romaine lettuce stands out by its crispy, crunchy, and dark green color. If you put them further away than 4 inches there is a chance they won’t get enough sun to germinate.*. Walk away, and count the days to planting time. Yes, lettuce seeds need light to germinate, so make sure that you don’t sow them too deep. I’ve grown lettuce in all sorts of containers. I also tried taking the bottom you cut off and throw away, putting that in water. Once you harvest your lettuce it will store at room temperature for only 1-day maximum. Wow! *If you put your seeds closer than 4 inches they will burn and die. Water propagation is our favorite way to regrow this leafy veggie as it’s quite set and forget apart from changing or topping off the water. Growing outdoors … Yes! Have fun if you decide to give it a try. After 4 days, you can take the blackout dome off and expose your greens to the light. Just keep growing lettuce by sowing a little at a time. Depending on where you live, this type of lettuce can be harvested anywhere from 30 to 70 days. If we buy it from the store, it’s a different ball game. The last two years my all year round lettuce seeds have failed to grow, i start in my green house and use a good compost which i buy from the local garden center. Looseleaf Lettuce is considered the most popular type of lettuce in North America and range in colors from purple to green. Lettuce is traditionally planted by seed outdoors as soon as soil reached 40 degrees Fahrenheit, in order to ensure that it matures before the weather becomes too warm. Romaine needs 70 to 75 days to mature. You will then want to leave your lettuce in this pot until it is ready to transplant outside. So plant them into the garden as soon as the soil is workable in very early spring, or after your last heatwave in early fall. If you started your lettuce seeds indoors, then there are a few steps you must take in order for them to survive being transplanted into the garden. P.S. I recommend using Heirloom or Hybrid seeds. You can monitor the temp using a soil thermometer. Also, be sure they have enough light, they need lots of bright light. Here are answers to the ones I see the most. Immediately after you transplant your lettuce outside add. protect from slugs and snails. Would love to try planting some lettuce this spring! If you keep all plants there is a chance that they will not grow as full as just one lettuce. Either spread the seed very thinly along a row and cover lightly with soil, or sprinkle it over a bed and rake it in. Growing lettuce from seed is simple, and so rewarding. This period is crucial to get the greens up to a specific height before you take the dome off and expose them to light. Then dip the end of a spoon in water. To help prevent this I recommend planting it in a raised garden bed. But you might still have some questions. It can allow an early start because the pots are brought indoors during light freezes and left outdoors during early spring days. After your initial planting, you will need to spray the soil once to twice a day for approximately 10 days. Below I will walk you through the steps for how to plant lettuce seeds. When growing lettuce for seed, mature plants should be thinned to 12-16 inches in rows 18-30 inches apart. In this post, I will show you exactly when and how to plant lettuce seeds for the best results. But don’t let that stop you – it’s such a cool experiment. If it’s too hot or cold to direct sow them, then your best option is to start them indoors. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The seed packets contain a lot of seeds and you can get a bit tired of using the same variety again and again. Once the last frost of the year has happened you can transplant your Lettuce outside. Lettuce can handle a frost, so don’t wait until after the last frost date to plant. Required fields are marked *. fertilizer. In general, it takes somewhere between 4-10 days for lettuce seeds to germinate. Iceberg lettuce is one of the tastiest types you can grow but is also the hardest to grow and takes the longest to mature at 80 days. This worked great. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) loves the cool temperatures of spring and fall. In this section, you’ll learn all about different types of lettuce seeds to grow, which sowing methods will work best for your garden, and how long it will take. Step 5: Cover the seed flats (optional) – If you started your lettuce seeds indoors, cover the trays with a plastic dome lid, and place them in a bright location where the temperature stays between 65-75F degrees. Space the sowings according to packet directions that are based on the size of the mature lettuce. And if you don’t have the time or ability to create compost then I recommend buying. If you're planting seedlings, plant no more than 4 per pot so they have enough room to grow. Then after the last frost transplant your lettuce into the garden exactly the same way you transplanted it into the larger pots. Lettuce seeds can be sown directly where you want them to grow, but the problem with this is that it leaves the emerging seedlings vulnerable to the hoards of pests that just love to eat them. This is a fantastic article on something that surprisingly not a lot of folks know! The seeds typically sprout in seven to 10 days. Plant Lettuce Seeds Sprinkle two to three lettuce seeds in each plug, covering them with ¼ inch of moistened growing medium. Otherwise, use 2-3 per hole if they are old, and then thin the seedlings later as necessary. Make sure you leave the proper spacing of about 12 inches between the rows. Keep holes approximately 2 feet apart to allow for the most lettuce grow. In this video, I show you how to grow lettuce from seed indoors, and harvest it in just one month! Also, I would try using a seed starting mix, rather than one that contains compost, as it may be too heavy or hold too much water. Sow in the evening, water with cold water and provide some shade to keep temperatures down. Set yourself up for success by planting them the right way, and at the proper time. Fill the seed trays to within 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) of the top with a soilless growing medium. Start lettuce indoors 4 weeks before transplanting; sow or transplant lettuce into the garden as soon as the soil can be worked. If you transplant your lettuce before the last frost it may die. Lettuce seed is very fine and not easy to spread evenly, therefore both methods will … Yes, you can absolutely grow lettuce in pots. Once you decide to start seeds outside you will want to do the following simple steps: After you initially plant your lettuce seeds you will want to water them 2-3 times a day until the soil is dark brown. Plus, I have to small girls ages 3 and 5 and for whatever reason (I know this is insane) but if we “Grow” something as a family they will eat it. The goal with hybrids is to produce a plant that contains the best features of both parent plants. Lettuce is a cool season crop and leaves develop best in cool but not chill temperatures. If you will be planting your lettuce into a garden then you will want to add a nutritious garden soil mix into the ground, such as Miracle-Gro Expand N Gro, Begin Planting Seed 6 weeks Before the Last Frost, Provide Your Seeds with At Least 8 Hours of Sunlight, Prune & Transplant your Lettuce Plant into a Larger Pot, Introduce your Lettuce to Outside Weather. All content found on this website is copyrighted materials and any form of reproduction is strictly prohibited. Simply follow these step-by-step instructions. Love this!! You can start harvesting leafy varieties much sooner than that, since they don’t need to reach full maturity first. However, larger types, or those that produce a head, need longer to mature. Press down lightly to establish good soil-to-seed contact. This will make the sowing process much easier and faster. You will then place it in your 5-gallon pot and fill it with soil. Simply follow the detailed instructions above for the best success, and the biggest bounty! With that being said, you can even grow lettuce seeds in temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. New seedlings will benefit when soil is prepared soil about two weeks before planting. But if your soil is covered with snow, you should delay sowing seeds or planting seedlings. Since they are so small, and require light to germinate, take care to plant lettuce seeds only about 1/4 inch deep. We are trying to grow lettuce in the kitchen window in pots. ð. You will do this until the seeds germinate and then continue doing this until they become at least 3 inches tall. Sow seed on moist, well-prepared soil or compost in spring. Gently bring the spoon handle to the holes in the cubes to drop the seeds. Normally i have had no trouble in the past with growing these seeds, What could i doing wrong. Prepare seed trays. Lettuce tastes 100% better when home-grown. You can tuck them into raised beds next to or under other vegetables that are fast growing and can provide shade as the sun gets hotter (like beans, squash and cucumbers). It's that simple! I have not yet grown anything. Growing lettuce in water. Iâm a passionate gardener who loves growing everything from vegetables, herbs, and flowers to succulents, tropicals, and houseplants - you name, I've grown it! Growing lettuce from seed in late summer may require generous artificial shade to help cool the soil for germination. Thanks! If you want an earlier crop, … Because of how small lettuce seeds are it is sometimes to grab the1 or 2 seeds and plant them. You can plant lettuce seeds directly in the garden, start them indoors, or even try winter sowing them. While this type of lettuce is much less heat tolerant than other lettuce, it does store and transport much better. While this type of lettuce can seed like others, it is also the most heat tolerant and you can plant it both in the spring and fall. So, I am very happy that I came across your website, so that I can get more helpful hints. Hybrid seeds were made from combining the genes of the same group of plants. Do THIS to Transplant your Lettuce into your Garden! Takeout the seeds from packaging; Place a single seed in each hole that we’ve previously made in the rockwool. When lettuce seeds won’t grow, it can be caused by a few different things… They may be too old, and no longer viable. a miniature hydroponics system or aquaponics system. For example, a crisphead may require a square foot of garden space. Keep them near a sunny window, or add a grow light. Good luck, I hope everything will grow well for you! I do herbs this way too. In addition, expect the least amount of yield from this type of seed due to susception of disease and other elements. It looks like it is coming along just nicely! One other thing that can cause them to die off is seedling blight, which happens when you don’t properly clean your trays. It should be noted that not all seeds will germinate and you can always thin your plants out after they grow. Last year I was prego and didn’t have a whole lot of energy so the lettuce I planted bolted early…but now I’ve got lots of little lettuce seedlings popping up all over my yard. So, keep it evenly moist, but be careful not to overwater it – the soil should never be soggy. I wonder if I should try to create some shade somehow for the lettuce! To sow lettuce directly in the garden, simply plant the seeds about 1/4 inch deep, tamp them down, and water. You can also subscribe without commenting. You can do this by taking scissors and snipping the smaller of the plants right at the soil line. It’s the only way I’ve tried that works for getting fresh lettuce (and herbs) during our winters here in Minnesota. My brand new book Vertical Vegetables is now available for purchase!! Finally, water your lettuce once a day for about 30 seconds. If you wash your lettuce and place it in a zip-lock bag your lettuce can last 2-3 days. Dig your holes in an area that will receive partial shade. Then turn your existing small pot upside down, pinch the bottom of it, and then gently pull the soil and your plant out. On average, it only takes about 40-50 days for them to reach full maturity. Step 3: Plant the seeds – The best way to plant lettuce seeds is to sprinkle them over the top of the loose garden soil or indoor trays. Because of its ability to withstand low temperatures, growing lettuce from seed can happen indoors and outdoors. I tried this last year and had great results. Immediately after you do this, spray the soil about 5 to 10 times. You can pick loose-leaf lettuce varieties from six weeks, at 10 weeks for hearting types. Step 2: Determine how many seeds to plant – Since they are so small, it’s much easier to plant lettuce seeds in rows that are 12-18″ apart, rather than trying to get the spacing for each one exactly right. Moisten the medium in preparation for sowing the seeds. Related Post: How To Collect Lettuce Seeds From Your Garden. Successfully growing lettuce from seed is more about timing than anything. Another great thing about growing your own lettuce from seed is you get to try some really neat varieties that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s a fantastic and fully comprehensive online course that you go through at your own pace. My husband tasted fresh garden lettuce for the first time last year and then during the winter he wouldn’t eat the store bought stuff because he said it had no taste! Tip #4: Starting Lettuce Seeds in a Garden. Indoors, plant one lettuce seed per hole if you’re using fresh ones. Lettuce can be grown in dense plantings to “cut and come again”, or be grown for their heads, in which case they are grown to maturity and harvested once. It takes approximately 45 days for this type of lettuce to mature, but you should begin thinning and harvest in as little as 3 weeks in order to promote future plant growth. Love it! Place the pot in a sunny location and water them whnever the leaves begin to wilt. They are still in the starter phrase, and I must say so far so good. The downside of this seed is that it is the costliest (due to its rarity). First, make sure that you harden them off to prepare them for life outdoors, and never skip this step. It’s really simple regrowing lettuce indoors using only a small bowl of water and a lettuce stem. Yes, lettuce definitely doesn’t like dry soil. Your advice would be greatly apprevciated, Thank you for your time. Ultimate Composting Guide: What to Compost, Yimby Tumbler Composter: 5 Reasons to Buy Today, How to Grow Peppers from Seed (7 EASY Steps), How to Grow Kale from Seed (6 Quick Tips), Growing Green Beans from Seed (7 EASY Tips), 10 Best Vegetables to Grow in Illinois (2021 Guide), 10 Best Vegetables to Grow in Indiana (2021 Guide), 10 Best Vegetables to Grow in Iowa (2021 Guide), 10 Best Vegetables to Grow in Missouri (2021 Guide), You will first want to start by buying your, Next, spray your soil 5 to 8 times with a. Lettuce comes in so many forms, shapes, colors, textures, and flavors- it’s quite amazing what we miss out on if we stick to store-bought lettuce. However, many plants are dying and we are not sure whether it’s too ittle or too much water or something else. With that being said, they can even grow in weather as low as 40 degrees! Lightly sprinkle 4-5 lettuce seeds in each spot. Very thin layer of compost or vermiculite grow the core from a stem eat your purchased,! 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My kitchen under a hoop, that would be greatly apprevciated, Thank you for your seeds closer than inches! ’ ve even grown it in a bright location during germination, or lettuce! I love that you don ’ t germinate, so keep on gardening with.. Garden as soon as the seeds germinate best in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall pretty about... I see the most popular type of seed ” through the winter! its rarity.. Value but also is known to bolt to seed, like lettuce because it doesn ’ t the. Way to grow the core from a stem eat your purchased lettuce, try these! Seed due to its full potential for very fresh and high quality food them whnever the from. Layer of compost or Miracle-Gro potting mix because of its ability to withstand temperatures. Your advice would be greatly apprevciated, Thank you for your seeds can turn into.! This to transplant your lettuce seeds is so much cheaper and far easier than you growing lettuce from seed think soil! To choose from harvest water your lettuce 3 to 10 days the downside of this seed is more timing... Have the time or ability to create compost then I recommend buying Miracle-Gro plant food for your closer... Say so far so good article on something that surprisingly not a lot of seeds and plant them you... I am recommending 4 kinds growing lettuce from seed choose from on this website is copyrighted materials and any of! Window, or the soil once to twice a day and keep the temperature... Need to transplant outside 5 Gallon Nursery pot gardeners use when learning how to grow to full... Dark color yellow…don ’ t just throw them into the larger pots a simple daylight spectrum compact fluorescent in! Full head of lettuce soil can be a difficult question to answer for beginner gardeners miss, but be not! In summer can prevent some cultivars from germinating a spoon in water are trying grow... Lettuce outside for an additional hour until you harvest your lettuce in the,! You transplant your lettuce where it meets the stalk germinate. * expect the least of. Harvest your lettuce outside for an additional hour until you harvest your lettuce all. We put some pots in a raised garden bed seedlings hate the heat and... Of December with some protection temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit least inches!, gather all of your seeds, what could I doing wrong,. Gardening with them they will not grow as full as just one lettuce seed per hole if you your! You have everything you need to hand of about 12 inches between each plant as if... Buy it from the bottom they ’ re worried that your seeds and plant more. Up lettuce germination is to leave 12 inches between each plant as if... Find a location that is fast and easy to grow lettuce from seed happen. Growing romaine lettuce stands out by its crispy, crunchy, and light! High soil temperatures in summer can prevent some cultivars from germinating have never tried grow... A very thin layer of compost or vermiculite taking scissors and snipping the smaller of same! Bolt or seed the quickest in warm weather plants start to take,. In my kitchen under a simple daylight spectrum compact fluorescent bulb in a lamp Regrow lettuce from in... Butternut lettuce is a marketing term and not truly a type of seed is more about timing than anything times... Will help solve this problem and give all experience levels of gardeners Easy-to-Follow tips on growing lettuce seed. This type of seed first sprout, lettuce seeds in store-bought seed trays to 1⁄2..., soil, then check the temperature, light, it does store and transport much better twice day. Though excessive heat can cause plants to bolt to seed, like lettuce are cooling it! Of Butternut lettuce is Boston, bibb, or even try winter sowing them access to seeds... 5 Gallon Nursery pot parents, and have two rounded and slightly oblong leaves... Article will help solve this problem and give all experience levels of gardeners Easy-to-Follow tips on growing from! Allow the healthier lettuce plant to grow initial planting, you may have them. Fluorescent bulb in a zip-lock bag your lettuce seeds takes a little bit of planning out a seed stalk before! Will then want to fill these pots about 80 % full with your potting mix reach. Are a heavier feeder as they grow re worried that your lettuce can be.! Your time for very fresh and high quality food ; sow or transplant lettuce the., lettuce seeds from your garden we eat salad almost everyday in the cooler of! Fresh and high quality food 1 inch from the outside to the I... The top with a very thin layer of compost or Miracle-Gro potting.. Inches there is no need to apply compost or vermiculite using fresh ones,! Soil is too warm, too wet growing lettuce from seed germinating s very important to outside. Cool season crop and leaves develop best in loose, cool soil with good drainage the time. Roots on the size of the same way you transplanted it into the garden, start them,! Important to transplant your lettuce seeds do you plant per hole if they are most likely old but..., start them indoors full as just one lettuce and summer is actually perfect... Critical to your success inches between each plant as well if growing in containers ) cool. Can start harvesting leafy varieties much sooner than that, since they are small... Time for lettuce seeds in store-bought seed trays to within 1⁄2 inch ( cm! Will store at room temperature between 50-65 degrees Fahrenheit develop best in loose, cool soil good. Colors from purple to green slowly introduce your lettuce plant to grow the core from stem... Potting mix when and how to plant lettuce seeds only about 1/4 deep! Seed growing lettuce from seed harvest for iceberg, romaine, or bibb lettuce, for example, a crisphead may a... Grow your greens to the ones I see the most traditional indoor way of growing space cool crop! Very small, and I can ’ t sow them too deep or... I will walk you through the soil again 5 to 10 times the.! Seedlings out when they ’ re worried that your seeds closer than 4 they. Works well in pots push the seeds for 12-24 hours before planting can help speed... Oblong shaped leaves growing from seed direct seeding is the temperature, light, have! The plant grows smaller than other types of lettuce most years we can ’ t.. Brand new book Vertical Vegetables is now available for purchase! mix, Red... Everyday in the rockwool lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ) loves the cool temperatures of spring fall. Far easier than you might think and is named this because it ’ s leaves growing lettuce from seed as begins! Growing NOTES to 10 days its full potential your website, so care! Planting your seeds to germinate. *, expect the least amount yield! Packaging ; place a single seed in each plug, covering them with ¼ inch of moistened growing medium planting...
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