Lettuce seedlings - now what ?

JillD_2 · 9 April 2007 at 10:02PM

I sowed some lettuce seeds 8 days ago, they have started to grow and I am soo chuffed ! These are the first seedlings I have ever ever grown all by myself!

At the minute they are only millimetres tall , one has started to get tiny wee leaves. When I sowed them, I sprinkled loads of seeds in each cell/pot of my window sill greenhouse thingy. Most pots now have 2 seedlings.

Obviously at some point I will need to move them out of these tiny pots to some bigger ones.

When do I do this ?
Is there a technique ?
When I first move them do I need to still cover them or will they be ok just sitting on the windowsill ?
Do I then move into bigger pots yet again at a later date ?

Next question then is this - I understand I can sow more in a few weeks or whatever that will grow that number of weeks behind thus ensuring a crop over the summer. I can't work out how often to re-sow more seeds. How do I work it out ?

Thanks for any tips,
Jill

Jayar · 9 April 2007 at 10:14PM

As soon as they are large enough to handle you'll want to p_rick them out. You should be very gentle with them as the stems and roots bruise easily. Handle them by the leaves and transfer them singly to either pots or a seed tray about 2 inches apart. You can make a new hole for them with the end of a pencil. Plant them so that the leaves are just above the soil. Firm them in gently and water.
Take the cover off them now and you can leave them on your windowsill if you have nowhere else. They can now stay in their new pots until they seem big enough to plant out in the garden or grow bags, whichever you decide.
Before that however, you'll want to harden them off for about a week or so. This entails taking them outside on nice days and bringing them back in at night. This is so that it's not such a shock for the wee things to go out into the big cold world all at once.
Just think how tasty they're going to be

madhouseof4 · 9 April 2007 at 10:15PM

I am certainly no expert, but I sowed some little gem lettuce today and on the packet it suggested successional sowing every 2-3 weeks so that you can get crops throughout the summer.

As for when to pot on, I am not sure. I guess it depends on what kind of lettuce as well. I would have though that you might need to thin out the seedlings to give the strongest plants space to grow? I know that I sowed 6 seed in a large mushroom packaging container with the view that I will probably thin out to just 3 plants until they are ready to be transplanted into the pots I plan on growing them in.

I hope that someone who is more knowledgeable comes along soon, lol!

stilernin · 10 April 2007 at 9:23AM

JillD says that these seedlings are in 'cells'. If this is the case, I would pinch out (nip off with your nails) all but one and leave the remaining one to continue growing. If the cells are approx 1" sq or more you can leave them in here until they become small plants.

By doing this, the roots are not disturbed and the plant won't be shocked and have to recover. You'd be surprised how much difference this makes to it's growth.

If you are putting the plants outside eventually, you will need to 'harden them off'. That means putting them out each day for an airing, bringing them in at night, until they are used to the big wide world and then they can stay outside overnight.

It is not only to get them used to the lower temperature, but to the wind. Even on a very still day there is a breeze which the tender stems have not been used to.

You can then put them in the ground or larger pots. You will see that by having left them in the cells to grow you will have a really good root system that holds all the compost from the cell when you knock the plant out. The plant will then feel very little disturbance when you plant it out.

Sowing more seeds every few weeks is definitely the thing to do. If you think of every seed being a lettuce, and then think about how many lettuces you would eat in a week, it gives you an idea of how many to sow. I used to sow only two seeds ( pinching out the spare if they both germinated) in each cell of a tray every few weeks.

Hope some of this helps.......... and have fun with your gardening.

roses · 10 April 2007 at 3:22PM

Can you put the seeds directly into the garden soil or do they need more care? I have just bought some rocket, spinach & leaf salad seeds.

JillD_2 · 10 April 2007 at 11:45PM

Oh I love stilernins idea of pinching out the spare/dud in each cell, I have 6 cells planted so assuming each cell yields at least 1 plant, and we eat 1 lettuce a week, then this is well over a months supply. So I would need to re-sow every 4 weeks.

I dont have any spare cells for the propagtor thingmy, but I have been saving coke bottles so I assue I could use them as grennhouses over pots on the windowsill in the same way ?

Oh its all so exciting!!!

Thanks so much for your help everyone!

stilernin · 11 April 2007 at 9:42AM

JillD wrote: »

and we eat 1 lettuce a week, then this is well over a months supply. So I would need to re-sow every 4 weeks.

!

Just a word of caution......... your lettuces are growing plants until you cut them for the kitchen, so don't wait until they are all 'fully grown' before you cut them. If you do, the last of your 6 will be cut 5 weeks later and will probably have gone to seed. Cut the first one before you think it is fully grown.

Another tip......... plant them out in a grid rather than a row. A row of 3, then a row of 2 (opposite the gaps IYSWIM) and then a row of three, so when they grow to full size they touch each other. This keeps the weeds down and in hot weather more soil is in the shade of the plant and moisture won't evaporate. You would cut the ones in the middle first.

If you have the space, you could grow some Salad Bowl lettuce which is the 'cut and come again' sort. This means that as it grows, you pull off the outside leaves and leave the plant to grow on. As they are the frilly sort, and have red or green varieties, I have often grown them in the flower border.

Re propogators, you will soon find that you will be looking at supermarket packaging in a new light!! There are so many good things to be recycled!

Having said all of the above, just try what suits you and have fun.

JillD_2 · 11 April 2007 at 11:05PM

stilernin, actualy they are the cut and come again type, and the red/green variety! So yes, perhaps I will put them in the flower border! The packet says they will regrow for up to 4 cuts. Not quite sure what that means exactly .... well it seems obvious but what hapens after I pull off the 4 set of leaves?

Re the gone to seed thing. I am never sure what that means exactly ?! But yes I see what you mean about not waiting til they are all fully grown. That makes sense. I rather have too many than too few. Am not averse to giving them to friends

I hadn't thought of the row of 3 versus row of 2 thing either , and of course that also makes prefect sense.
I think 4 of the cells have produced lovely little seedlings now.

And also very excitingly one of the tomato cells has also produced a little seddling too :j

One of my friends gave me 6 tomato plants today that are very tall already, so does this mean they will grow fruit earlier than mine ? In which case, excellent!
Now just got to finds room in the garden, better get hubby to dig me some beds :T

katskorner · 12 April 2007 at 8:07AM

roses wrote: »

Can you put the seeds directly into the garden soil or do they need more care? I have just bought some rocket, spinach & leaf salad seeds.

You can sow direct in the garden yes, but be careful as slugs and snails tend to nip the new grow to destruction. It is easier to start them in pots or trays until they have a bit of growth to help protect them a bit more. Even then you need to protect them from slugs and snails as they love the leafy crops. I just spinkle a few pellets around. You can get natural ones now too if you want to avoid the chemical type, especially if you have hedgehogs!

katskorner · 12 April 2007 at 8:08AM

JillD wrote: »

One of my friends gave me 6 tomato plants today that are very tall already, so does this mean they will grow fruit earlier than mine ? In which case, excellent!

No they won't produce fruit earlier. Leave them in their existing pots until the first trusses (flowers) set. Then you should pot them on to their final pots, growbags and get feeding a high potash feed (tomato food) every week.

JillD_2 · 21 April 2007 at 12:51AM

so far the lettuce seedlings appear to have survived transplanting into bigger pots and are sitting on the windowsill with no lid.

The tomato seedlings are doing fantastically well, think I should pot them on soon too.
The pepper seedlings appear to be doing sod all which is v annoying. I did the same with these as the others so what did I do wrong ??

Lettuce seedlings - now what ?

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