Growing Lettuce from Sowing to Harvest
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- Опубліковано 13 чер 2019
- 💛 📖 See the GrowVeg book here: www.growveg.com/growveg-the-b....
Lettuce is quick-growing, fuss-free and can be grown just about anywhere. Whether you’re growing it for sweet, firm hearts or to create a pick-and-mix of leaves, you won’t want to run short of this dependable salad.
Grown for its luscious leaves, there’s a cornucopia of both hearting and loose-leaf varieties to explore.
In this short video we’ll shown you how to sow, plant, care for and harvest this varied vegetable.
If you love growing your own food, why not take a look at our online Garden Planner which is available from several major websites and seed suppliers:
www.GrowVeg.com
gardenplanner.almanac.com
gardenplanner.motherearthnews.com
and many more...
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If you've noticed any pests or beneficial insects in your garden lately please report them to us at BigBugHunt.com - Навчання та стиль
"Lettuce know in the comments down below." 😉I see what you did there.
We all love a good pun!
I was just about to write this! You beat me to it 😂 love garden puns
@@GrowVeg Yes, but we also need to know when to leaf it alone!
hahaha, I laughed when he said it.
As a dad, I approve this pun. 😊
We make lettuce seed tapes to make sowing faster when it's cold outside. Make a 50:50 paste using flour and water. Glue the seeds onto toilet paper at your preferred spacing. Use a toothpick or watercolor brush. Put another layer of toilet paper over your seed tapes while the glue is still damp. Place in the garden in early spring and cover with a 1/2 inch of soil. The paper biodegrades quickly. Making seed tapes is a great project for kids. This works for other small seeds like carrots.
We cut off a head of lettuce and leave the stem in the ground. Bibb or leaf type, they all regenerate multiple crops before summer heat overwhelms even the slow to bolt varieties.
These videos and comments are a wonderful way for gardeners to learn and share.
Thanks for that tip. We've actually made a video of it in the past, so if anyone wants to see how to make a seed tape, here it is: ua-cam.com/video/L0TbKSPgyKE/v-deo.html
My favorite variety is ‘Lettuce Pray’ grown in church yards lol
Haha, very good!
I'm trying my hand at vegetable gardening for the first time at age 79! I'm finding your "Growing from Sowing to Harvest" videos incredibly informative. I especially appreciate that you give temperatures and distances/heights in both metric and American measurements. Thank you!
You're definitely never too 'old' to start growing! So pleased you're getting started - enjoy! :-)
iceberg on a tuna wrap! sooo refreshing
I honestly can't believe i haven't subscribed to your channel, mate, as it's been my "go-to" guide on vegetables/herbs for years.
I've had the cheek to consume your videos from different accounts, and not once have it hit the "subscribe" button! Unbelievable!! 😮
I dont know your name, but let me please tell you.. You're an absolute legend in this department, fella! I mean that with every ounce of my being!
I digress... Subscription is activated now, and I've even hit the bell icon. That'll lettuce know (sorry) when you've new content on the horizon! Happy days!
Keep doing what you're doing, I hope i don't need to tell you that..
You've assisted myself and so many others in a struggle to find the fundamentals or intricate details we need for a successful harvest, crop, propagation and navigated us with complete ease!
HUGE ❤ and respect from a 42 year old Scot 🏴 🇬🇧💙
Cheers so much my good man! Really appreciate it. And a formal, warm welcome to the channel! Thanks so much for your supports. And happy gardening! :-)
Love my leaf 🍃 lettuce here in Nova Scotia Canada 🇨🇦 very healthy, grows very well.
I don't thin as such. I simply harvest small leaves for baby salad. It's so fulfilling to see the leaves I leave grow bigger until my next round of harvests.
You're right it's evolved to be a self-culling auto thinning row crop. Compact heads as such though I can see giving the best spacing.
Thanks for this immense knowledge on vegetables. I will never be same again.
I love Red Ruby Stream lettuce. Loose leaf is my favorite due to quick turnaround time for growth!
i like growing my lettuces in hanging baskets. No slugs getting my greens!!!
That's a great way to side-step slugs.
How did that work? I was thinking of doing the same. I have all my lettuces (Iceberg & Frisee) in pots right now. I prefer in ground gardening but I just have too many critters that dig up my seeds or much on my foliage to take any risks when the plants are young. I can't even direct sow seeds of any kind anymore they just get demolished!
@@ladyspace6365yes. I saw a video saying to grow this way as well.
Thank you for your awesome videos. Never had any luck growing lettuce. Our cool weather is not cold enough in Down Under. I’m inspired to try again after seeing your video. Cheers!!
You're a delight to watch. Thank you for yet another gem of a video. :)
Favorite lettuces are, Boston, red and green leaf.
I’m working my way through all 170 videos and I love them thank you so much for great information and fun ideas. Stay safe stay home and stay gardening 🙏🌻🌶
Thanks for watching!
I grow 'em in rows! Thanks for the wonderful video.
Perfect! You have videos for all the veggies I’m growing!
That's good to hear. :-)
I really like this video .you explain very well for those that have'nt expirence about these kinds of plants yet .thank you.
Love you guys I learn so much from you
For the lettuce growers out there, give Frisee a try! Aka: 'Curly Endive'. I've found it germinates well and has stronger seedlings than more delicate lettuces making it more durable especially with transplanting. It's a delicacy and you won't find it in stores or farms around here but you may in a fancy restaurant! Wonderful for adding to Spring/Mesclun mix for lovely salads.
i love lettuce so this video helped a whole lot!
My favorite sallads are "Little gem" "Forellenschluss" and "Crisp mint" 🌱👍 Susanne, Sweden
I found your video informative. Thank you.
I love adding to a mixed salad ingrédients come lambsquarters and plantain leaves.
What is a honeymoon sandwich? “Lettuce alone!”
Thank you for your wonderful information
You're very welcome!
Great sharing video, thank you so much to show how to grow lettuce in garden .
Thankyou love your stuff kick on love it
I find your videos informative and a joy to watch. I'm learning a lot about gardening and plants. Thanks and keep the videos coming. I caught the lettuce joke. Good one.
Cheers!
Simple succinct video I feel confident now to grow my own lettuces starting today yay
Yey!
I always like sowing lettuce inside my sweet-corn field during the hot summer days, the lettuce will have enough sunlight and shade. Plus it (kind off) helps suppressing weeds
What a great idea. :-)
My families favorite is Oak leaf, butter crisp, Bibb
Love your movies. So fun to follow your homestead. Through we live in Sweden we can learn a lot from u. Best regards T och M
Just found you on UA-cam, loving your wonderful well explained videos, fantastic,,, I’m trilled
Thanks Claire! :-)
I like lettuce a lot. Trying to plant thanks for the guide. First time to plant lettuce
Good luck with it - it's a fun salad to grow.
just off to follow your advice and start of in modules as I do have a major slug problem at my allotment
This is great. Thanks so much 👍
Excellent video, full of information that we need :D
THANK YOU!!! 🙏🏽
Thanks for this video. I'm gonna try growing iceburg lettuce
Great video again man
thank you
Love 'Drunken Woman Frizzy Headed' and 'Flashy Oak' lettuces!
Love the name of the first variety!
Well done mate! Thanks
Cheers matey!
Really awesome video man. Have an amazing weekend, Andreas from Off Grid Sweden
Cheers Andreas, you too my friend. :-)
Nice! Thanks!
Thank you Ben
This is my garden headache
I eat loads of salad yet can not grow lettuce.
But armed with your advice, I'm going to try
That's great to hear Gabby. :-)
"you can lettuce know" good one you had there lol
Well spotted. 🤣
Beautiful lettuce i like that 😍😍😍
I found a really cool way to make the leaves sweeter. Mine used to be bitter, but I learned from another video to add Epsom salt around the base of the plants and now my lettuce is delish!
Do you do that at planting time or later as a side dressing?
@@judytre1 I add it after planting as a fertilizer, it works to keep cucumbers from being bitter too. I also used it for my bulbs and got so many flowers this year. I'm going to try it on my tomatoes too.
@@rebeccakelleher88 Im eager to try on my cucumbers right now. A light sprinkle and cultivate it in then water?
@@judytre1 I just sprinkled about two tablespoons around the roots and water. I didn't even cultivate it at all!
@@rebeccakelleher88 Thats easier! its on tomorrows list of things to do!!
You can lettuce know 😂that’s funny 😂👩🌾♥️ love this segments of lettuce I will do cuz now it’s winter I can start germination thanks Ben 👍👍👍
Cheers Emy!
Good❤
Like "lettuce know"
I loved you in Pirates of the Carribbean
Arrgghh!
my only thing with this is, you can plant much more dense. i planted mine 2 inches apart and they are thriving
I use cut and come again lettuce.
For those of us with a very small garden, I purchase lettuce seed mats to plant in a 10 inch pot. many varieties of lettuce in the same pot.
3 weeks after the first harvest, plant another seed mat in another pot.
You should have at least 4 cuts from each lettuce, which means your next pot will be ready. you can then replant your original pot with another seed mat.
You don't even need a garden to have fresh lettuce leaves every day.
That's a really great idea. :-)
Gotta love lettuce, they are thought of solely as a summer salad crop but they do so well in the cooler months. I grow Tom Thumb which is great as a small lettuce that will get used up in one meal and All Year Round because it is just so versatile. I also grow perennial Rocket, Corn Salad and Spinach which all add punches of flavour on the plate :-)
Specialized in growing lettuce
Super helpful. I tried growing some lettuce recently and sort of failed at it.
Try again though - it's well worth growing.
I've tried lettuce last year it bolted and went to seed so I didn't grow any this year but maybe I'll try a lettuce in a container this year...
Sure like to see US gardeners n zone 6,7 nd not ALL UK video.
I'm gardening in zone 8 Kim, so very close to your zones.
“Lettuce know” haha
Another informative useful video. Much appreciated, as I will be sowing our first lettuces in late summer, here in Nashville Tennessee. Best wishes~ Laurie 🥬💚
This is amazing, socks and birkies are also my go too gardening fashion!
The best!
Hi loved your video, can you tell us some varieties that are the winter type (for England) because I'd like to look for some now and order. Thanks!
Kevin's suggestions are very good ones. Also, it's worth trying the very hardy 'Grenoble Red'.
Lettuce give thanks! (My, we are a clever bunch, aren't we?) My favorite varieties this season are freckles, green oakleaf and buttercrunch. Ooooweee, they are some good eatin'. Great vid, as always. I was hoping you would cover seed saving as well. Maybe next time? Thanks for taking the time to teach. Be blissed! daisy
Hey Daisy - we've already got that covered: ua-cam.com/video/dPwMf3uA8Q8/v-deo.html
Thank you for very clear tutorial. Is it now a good time to grow leaf lettuce from seed outside?
It depends on where you are. In most part of the UK, where I am, it may be best to wait until the end of March, once the soil has dried out a bit.
This is so helpful! I’m in southwest Florida and I’ve been told that lettuce can only be grown in the winter (December through Feb/March) because otherwise it will be bitter. Do you know if this is true or which varieties might be able to handle our warm, humid springs and falls? I would say that our climate might be similar to that of Southern Italy.
Hi Michelle. You may be best growing them in winter if it's very hot in the summer, as they are cool-season crops. I'm not aware of heat-tolerant varieties, although that doesn't mean to say there aren't heat tolerant varieties out there.
Hi, you mentioned your garden planner. That looks absolutely amazing. Can you share the link to this please?
Yes of course, you can find out more at: www.growveg.com/garden-planner-intro.aspx
Thank you! This is great!
Hello from Canada. My kids and I absolutely love your videos. I have a balcony garden now for 4 years and I grow in containers....one challenge I have is that my lettuce starts to grow but then bolts because the air conditioner makes the balcony super hot. Do you have any suggestions how I can grow my lettuce kale etc. to maturity? How early can I plant so that the roots don't freeze?
Hi Michaela. It would be great if you could shield your lettuces and kale (and other cool-season crops) from the heat somehow - perhaps out of the way of the exhaust from your air conditioning. You could also try shading them if they get direct sunshine. You can move lettuces and kale outside so long as its above freezing during the day and frosts are fairly light - not very hard frosts for days on end.
@GrowVeg Great.Thank you for your reply. I will try shading. I have nowhere to move it though. They are already as far from the air conditioner as possible. I will also try sowing them now and covering the pot. See if that helps. Thanks much.
I confess, I get confused by compost nomenclature, which I know varies between countries: potting soil/compost; multipurpose soil/compost; sowing soil/compost for seeds.
Don't worry, it can be a bit confusing. In the UK compost is what North Americans would call potting soil. I tend to use the term potting mix now (which means the same as compost/potting soil) as it is probably the most widely understood. All the same thing though. Multipurpose potting mix is the same as all-purpose potting mix - just a general use potting mix/potting soil/compost.
@@GrowVeg How kind of you to respond, thank you.
Hi, I'm new to veg gardening and have acquired an allotment. I find all your videos extremely helpful and you often refer to the planting app? where can I access this? thank you
Delighted you're finding the videos useful - that's great to hear! The Garden Planner we refer to can be found here: www.growveg.com/gardenplanner/gardenplanner.html
I have earwigs in my Romain Lettuce. Any tips or tricks to get rid of them? Love your videos!
Hi Isabelle. You might find out earwig guide handy: www.growveg.com/pests/us-and-canada/earwig/
Novice question here... So I sowed into modules about 3 to 4 seeds each, and pretty much every seed has germinated. What I want to know is this - why sow a pinch of seeds when we know that we are going to end up thinning the plants out? Why not 1 seed to one module? Great video by the way, EXACTLY what I needed 😊👍👍
Hi Andrew. I sow a pinch of seeds per module to guarantee there will be at least one seedling per module - to account for the likelihood that at least a few seeds won't germinate. You could probably just sow two seeds per module and then thin to leave the strongest, or even one seed and then gap up any that don't germinate with extras that have. Lettuce seed is usually plentiful, so I perhaps tend to be a bit wasteful and err on the side of caution, but you could certainly sow fewer seeds per module.
Wow. I lost 120 in 3 days. All the rain set a slug army free
That's so frustrating - sorry to hear that.
@@GrowVeg all part of the fun. Lose some, but others loved it like 18 inch growth in a week on tomatos
🌹
The only lettuce I eat is the wild lettuce that volunteers prolifically around my strawberry and asparagus beds. No work but simply to pull them out, carry them in, and prepare them!
No-work lettuces are the best!
Thanks for the video. Often my lettuce is quite bitter, regardless of the variety. We are in Portugal so it is often quite hot but we do water regularly. Any suggestions to keep it sweet flavoured?
Valerie Clay Yes, I’m in Florida, USA, and I think our climates are similar. I’d also like to know, as bitterness is a problem here, too.
If soil moisture is fine, then only thing I could suggest would be that the heat is causing them to turn a bit bitter. They are cool-season crops, so may do better in a shadier position during hot summers. Also, perhaps stick with green-leaved lettuces, as the red-leaved lettuces can sometimes be a tad bitter.
Do you possibly know what trays you us e for starters? I'm having troubles finding some that are strong enough to be used multiple years. Thank you!!
The ones I am using aren't very sturdy to be honest. They are old plug trays from plants I originally bought in as plug plants. For ones that can be re-used again and again it's best to get extra-strong rigid plastic trays. They cost more but will last for many years. Have a look on Amazon for example: www.amazon.com/s?k=plug+tray&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
LETTUCE know in the comment section :)
See what I did there ;-)
You plant 3-5 seeds per plug but it looks like you are planting 1 plant into the ground. Do you thin then out when they germinate? Also how long between plug and planting?
You can plant them out as a cluster, leaving a little more space between plantings, or you can thin the seedlings to leave one per plug and plant a touch closer. The advantage of one seedling/plant to each position is that harvesting is simpler - you just take a few outer leaves from each plant and it all continue to grow. This is perhaps a little more challenging with a cluster of seedlings/plants. The time from plug to planting can be as little as a few weeks during the growing season.
mine are still in small pot in a tarp greenhouse they wilting slightly , maybe its to hot or just need more water ??
It could be either, but check the potting mix in the pot and water if dry. Keep in the shade if it's very hot.
"You can lettuce know in the comments" 😂
I have one question, when start video i saw schedule what called this app ? Thaank for good expreience.
It's called the Garden Planner and you can find out more about it at: www.growveg.com/garden-planner-intro.aspx
After we put few seeds in the plugs, do we thin them out? I got them out now but they dont look like yours with a single plug, because mine have multiple plants in the same plug
Yes, I would thin them out to one seedling per plug. Another option would be to sow the seeds in a pot or tray, to then prick out/transplant into their own plugs - this would be a more efficient use of seed, though you tend to get many hundreds of seeds in a packet!
Hi, could anyone please answer this question?
Can you catch any parasites from lettuce grown in your garden?
Slugs and snails love them, and I've heard they can be a vector for some parasites. If so, what can I do to ensure they are removed or killed before eating the leaves raw?
Not sure on this one. I just eat the leaves straight off the plant, but you could wash them first.
👋😊
lettuce is something i havent eaten in *years,* ever since i watched a video on how they make *fake* lettuce out of SLIME. they poured this slime into a pot of water, swirled it around for a second and BAM, real looking fake lettuce leaves. it was horrendous. i will *never* eat lettuce i dont personally grow again because of how REAL it looked! so im going to have a go and try to grow some myself. i figure everywhere does this now, since its so easy and cheap to make i dont see why any restaurants would buy real lettuce again. you can find it by typing in fake lettuce and lots of videos about it pop up here on youtube. ICK!!!
😱i watched it...😱🤮🤢🤮
This is astonishing - I had no idea this existed. How awful!
It seems I can't grow lettuce in my area. For some reason, either be rain or strong wind, my lettuce does not grow a bulb but rather tries to grow upwards(Not bolting). This leads the lettuce to grow fewer leaves and lean over the other lettuce crops. What is the problem and how do I solve it?
It could be that it is in a stressful environment. It needs moist soil that doesn't dry out for prolonged periods of time. And as a cool-season crop it hates it when it is very hot. Good moist, relatively cool weather sees it produce proper hearts/heads of lettuce. If your summers are very hot then it's worth waiting until late summer before sowing.
I tried planting a variety of lettuces this spring ( green ice, Tom Thumb, little Caesar, and some spinach). I planted them in mid-April (I am in Pennsylvania), and now in June they are just barely 1/4” to 1/2” seedlings. I have a soaker hose set up to water every other day. I thought they should be much further along by now. Any thoughts/ideas?
Are they getting enough light, or has it been particularly cool for this time of year? You will find that once they get into their stride they will suddenly put on a lot of growth very quickly - growth never seems to be linear with lettuces, more stops and starts.
GrowVeg - They get morning shade until about 10:30am, and then sun the rest of the day. I’m afraid of overwatering, but maybe I should add some more time on the water cycle on the days I have the schedule set.
i was wondering how often should I water Lettuce? I used to water it everyday and soak it and it seemed like it would kinda kill the plant because the outter park would get drown and die and there was no signs of bug eating eating the plant or warms.
Lettuce only need watering when the soil it’s growing in is dry. There’s no need to water otherwise. Test how moist the soil is and if it’s dry, water. That said, so long as there is adequate drainage it is hard to overwater lettuce.
@@GrowVeg Okay thanks
Small green worms have been eating my lettuce leaves. Do you have any recommendations to get rid of them?
That sounds like a caterpillar of some sort. Once they are there, it's hard to get rid of them. I would suggest growing lettuces beneath some sort of row cover/insect mesh next time, to stop them getting to your lettuce in the first place.
Crunchy and juicy Romaine for my Caesar salad please
I've been trying the donkey shoes to germinate lettuce without any success at all. Is there something I can do to break that dormancy thank
Lettuce is a cool-season crop, so doesn't like it too hot to germinate. Good results can be had at a cool room temperature. Use fresh seed if the seed you've got continues to give poor results.
Is there something I need to do to make the iceburg lettuce form a dense, round head like the ones in the store? I have tried growing it several times, both from seed and from plants bought at a nursery, and mine never forms those tight heads - it stays quite loose and leafy. Maybe it is bolting before it has a chance to mature?
Yes, sometimes it fails to form a dense head before it bolts. To be honest, I've never got iceberg lettuces as firm as those in the shops. And there's often a slug or two lurking in them! I think the best advice is simply to keep the ground consistently moist and to keep them out of intense heat and sun.
Thank you! I will try to keep them more watered and shaded this year than I have in the past.
How long does it typically take for lettuce to be ready to transplant from plug tray to garden bed?
It depends on the time of year. In spring, once temperatures have warmed up a little, it can be about three to four weeks from sowing to planting out from a plug try.
GrowVeg thanks I think I’ll try direct sowing! I think I planted too late for my zone and they aren’t growing much in the seed trays.
They don’t have any “true leaves” and are 5 weeks old. 🤦♀️
What about densely planted so they naturally cull themselves??
If lettuces (or any other salads or vegetables) are planted too close together then they become tall, thin and leggy and won't grow properly. So you have to thin them out by hand to get good-sized, healthy plants.
Please let me know the fertilizer you have used
Nothing but garden compost and a light sprinkling of chicken manure pellets.
What was that liquid u placed in the can
I think that may have been a liquid plant food to help feed plants.
5:38. I bet you didn’t plan that pun. “ you can lettuce know” i had a chuckle anyway. Does it have to potting mix when sowing lettuce tho?
Haha - the puns sometimes get dropped in by accident. You don't need to use potting mis when sowing lettuce, but it does give a good clean start, free of weed seeds. But seeing as they can obviously be sown outside, direct, there's no reason you couldn't use sieved/screened soil to sow in pots.
@@GrowVeg absolute star yet again! Keep up the amazing work sir!
what is the program you are using at 1:47?
It's called the Garden Planner and you can read more about it at: www.growveg.com/garden-planner-intro.aspx
i successfully grew some lettuces last year here in forest of dean. First time i grew them. they really did look healthy as furrrk. had 4 chicken wraps and added lettuce to each one each time. just as i started to love it, one morning i noticed half of each had gone. fuckin slugs. im giving them another go this year and will buy some romane seeds. im told theyre hardy.
Put down some slug traps and go out and collect slugs regularly - you'll win the war eventually!