Lettuce in Containers tip

converted-lurker

For all of you who are thinking about doing lettuce in containers this year why not try what I do..

Cut 4 pint milk cartons in half (or use tubs like margarine tubs, ice cream tubs etc) and put drainage holes in the bottom.

Pot up 7 a week and you will have a continuous supply of lettuce through the summer.

It uses very little compost and the containers are free. Mine came up lovely last year and have already been saving my milk bottles for this year.

peachespeaches

Thats a nice tip. But to be honest, I grow Little Gem and Rocket in a grow bag. Its dead easy, Ive done this for years. I keep mine in a cold frame.

mardatha

...But where do you put them once they're planted ? Last year I tried them on the windowsill and they died, then outside in the shade and they died, then outside in the open and they died !!!

tomsolomon

peachespeaches wrote: »

Thats a nice tip. But to be honest, I grow Little Gem and Rocket in a grow bag. Its dead easy, Ive done this for years. I keep mine in a cold frame.

Best way I recon...

Mine were fine in a grow bag last year on some staging in a nice sunny spot on the patio. £2.19 + seed, we had lettuces all the way up untill November.... No slugs either....;)

mardatha

Were they in sun all day or shade all day or a mixture of both? I am determined to grow lettuce this summer if it KILLS ME !!

peachespeaches

mardatha wrote: »

...But where do you put them once they're planted ? Last year I tried them on the windowsill and they died, then outside in the shade and they died, then outside in the open and they died !!!

In part of the garden that got some sun but not all the day, in a cold frame. I only use those cheapo cold frames that you put together yourself. I think my last one was about £7 from home bargains, you can get loads of stuff in it. My dad always used to improvise cold frames though, just using an old bit of wooden cabinet with an old window over the top. I suppose thats the MSE way. Look at them at least once a day and give them plenty of water, as in a grow bag they havent got a long root run.

I would say if they die they arent getting enough water. I find this method fairly foolproof. Which seeds/varieties are you using? Try the cut and come again variety are the easiest to grow.

converted-lurker

Mine were outside in a mixture of both sun and shade. They were on wooden staging and on top of a half height plastic shed.

I do have a greenhouse but that was full of other things.

The lettuce where fine apart from when we had the real hot weather and they did tend to wilt a bit - but we did not get much real hot weather last year so it was not a problem. :rotfl:

I tried them on the windowsill initially and they just went all floppy - so kept them outside instead.

I agree no slugs is a great thing. I will also try a growbag of them this year and see how I get on with them. I just liked the container method as they are easy to move around and fit in small gaps etc. I have small kids who love digging up my pots so I like to have them out of reach if poss.

mardatha

Ok thanks both. Maybe they were too hot, there isn't any shade in my back garden really. I will try a few pots in different places this year. No cold frames but a few panes of glass I can put on top of some bricks.

Antispam

They like lots of water and also slugs love them too. I grow some in tubs last year and take very little space as they grow upwards the variety I got from Aldi

MORPH3US

When you say that you grow them in grow bags, do you cut a big long slit and sown them all the way down that or do you put individual holes for each plant?

savemoney

I think lettuce like being kept moist but not too wet. Not too much sun partial shade might be okay