I tried a few different ways to grow lettuce, direct in my plot, and in containers but the slugs and snails destroyed the plants as soon as it rained. So I tried growing under cover, I made my own plastic covered wooden frame and grew Butter head lettuce. The frame kept the soil completely dry, slugs do not like dry soil. I watered directly around the base of each plant keeping the surrounding soil dry. My lettuce are perfect!!! No slug damage, no bolting whatsoever.
When I have more lettuce then I can eat, I put the surplus in a blender with a little bit of water then pour into ice cube trays and make lettuce ice cubes. Put those in the freezer and add them to your smoothies. That way you still get the nutrition from your harvest. Sometimes, I have to run a little bit of hot water along the bottom of the cube trays to loosen them out. Then I store them in a Ziploc baggie in the freezer.
1. don't delay picking; eat 'em when they look their best 2. stagger plantings 3. heat-tolerant varieties (e.g. slo-bolt, red romaine, bronze guard, oakleaf) 4. plant 'em extra close to keep soil covered
@@mirozen_ you can also try growing them in pots and when the weather is hot just move them into a shaded part of the yard or something, my lettuce plants are doing very well even though we’ve been in the high 90’s for a week now and with proper watering and with a nice layer of mulch they’ve been thriving still, been doing it for the last few years with great success
Thanks Luke! I have been trying to improve on my lettuce growing techniques. I saw one person comment that they make lettuce ice cubes from putting it in the blender. I do a similar thing, take a bunch of lettuce cuts and blender it with carrots, celery, and parsley and some water. I put a couple blenders full in a large pot and simmer about 20 minutes then put in containers and freeze. I can thaw one out and warm up for a delicious broth drink
All great tips! One thing I like to do is put all my lettuce beds on the east side of my house where they only get four hours of sun a day. They seem to do best there .
I grew buttercrunch that I purchased from you guys and I couldn't believe how easy and delicious was even in July! I did grew some into heads because my family loves crunchy type heads and they were picture perfect!
Landscape covers? I've been using them in my 105 degree heat (blocks out 90% sunlight) in the afternoon and it prevents the leaves from heat scorch as well as keeping the soil moist and cool. Mulch helps, too.
Here in Central Texas, we started up with insane heat very early in the season, making gardening in general tough. We have to be very conservative with water or risk our wells drying up….it’s not raining either. While I had a decent lettuce harvest, it ended fairly early so I’m considering growing inside under grow lights to maybe have some going year round. By the way…the black seeded Simpson I grew from your seed (well, everything I got from you, Luke) grew so well and I think was the most delicious lettuce I’ve ever had! I’ve found I do better starting in growing trays and planting starts out vs direct sowing because something always attacks the tiny seedlings. Using a bed that gets more protection from late afternoon sun is key.
I love those little beds too. I have a huge, overwhelming garden. I am 53 years old and have a hard time getting down- or getting up actually. I need to do a little different in our garden. I love your video, Luke. You always encourage me in one way or another. My lettuce was bitter and bolted. I like this thought. Thank you.
Keep trying! Last year I wasn’t able to grow lettuce in the summer but this year I’ve had success, growing it close together in window boxes and keep starting new seeds. Using the containers has worked out well.
I planted lettuce in a Greenstalk so it’s close to the kitchen door, pick outer leaves for cut and come again use, and pulled bolted/bitter plants to replant herbs/lettuce seed directly. It has 30 spots for plants which makes a delicious planter with very clean lettuce leaves for ease in harvesting.
I gave up growing salad greens outside. I'd have to wait till October for the weather to cool and for the chance of heat waves to lower. I live in SoCal. I grow them inside now and they grow so nicely. Had my first harvest today. I got two large bowls worth of salad greens.
Great tips Luke! I’m newer to gardening and lettuce is one of those things I love to grow (and eat!) but it does love to go to seed as soon as the heat hits.
Brilliiant. Exactly what we do here in Ohio, though our garden is much smaller (living, as we do, on a postage-stamp Cleveland city lot) so no soil sits fallow for long. We sow lettuce every month in spring (started in late March to plant out in April). Then, starting in early June, we sow starts inside every two weeks, moving them to the picnic table after they've sprouted. This gives us a steady supply of mature, strong starts to replace plants as they bolt. Bottom line: We save $5 to $10 a week for two people buying lettuce for salads. PS. Black Seeded Simpson is one of our summer lettuces, along with Oak Leaf and Gand Rapids. They''re all slow to bolt. We also have a lot of success growing romaine in the heat, though have gone to leaf lettuce so we can harvest the outer leaves during the summer.
I just wanted to say thank you. I received my first order of seeds from Migardener. I love the care that went into the information on each seed packet. Very informative, with great suggestions. Very pleasant experience. :)
This is my first garden summer. Slow Bolt lettuce has been amazing. It’s July 26, and it’s still growing strong. It’s growing in an 18-gallon tote in a partially shaded area. I did succession gardening and planted thickly like you recommended. This will be my go-to summer lettuce. Thanks for all your informative videos.
luke, please remember that some people live in places with different climates or in the southern hemisphere (like me) and we would greatly benefit from you saying what stage of the season you're in rather than the month itself, it can be confusing and makes us have to first figure out what season it would be in that month for you, then reverse it, then figure out how hot/cold it'd be for you and how that would translate for us, which unless you pause the video, will distract you i just think it'd be more universal and would get more people on board i say this as a long time viewer of the channel, keep it up
I'm still in the first year at my allotment. No matter what I do, I get alot of weeds coming through in my beds. I tried leaf lettuce last summer but I couldn't even tell what was a weed or lettuce😂 I'm growing heads for now but still want to try your method
I am a safety trainer for FedEx & Ground Cloud, but I love to learn about growing & you are one of The Masters I learn from :-) I love your videos, Thank you, so very much :-) I work late & end up watering late, sometimes I water by flashlight... that is still okay?
Good tips, Luke, but I’d like to know when to plant for a fall crop. Is August too soon? A freak hail storm last week in central VA destroyed my lettuce…and other vegetables.
Only way to grow it in summer in Florida is to keep it shielded from the heavy daytime sun. I keep my lettuce under my palm trees which are about 15-20 ft high and they do a good job of shielding from heavy sun. Even this only works until mid June. Eventually the weather and pest will win After that we have to use only certain species of lettuce/spinach etc. or use grow lights indoors
Congratulations on the grand opening. I have a random question for you. I live in New England and was not able to plant my garden until June 1st this year. Will my carrots, onions or cabbage planted from seed (MIgardener seeds) mature ? When should I harvest? Should I pull them and replant for a fall harvest? Help me Luke 😁 thanks. Timbercat Matt
Your carrots and cabbage will be fine (cabbage will vary a bit more based on the variety and location, I would shade from mid afternoon sun). As for onions, most varieties need to be planted in fall (oct/nov), grown through winter and harvested in summer. I think certain varieties exist that can bulb the same year. If you are lucky you may get some tiny bulbs by early winter but at this point you are probably better trying to let them grow over the winter (never tried planting them this early so cannot speak to the results). If it helps, I still have cabbage growing currently, though I am letting it go to seed, it would have been perfect to eat 2 or 3 weeks ago, although a bit small.
I've been growing various romaine lettuces in raised beds this year and so far nothing has bolted. I'm growing it under mosquito netting which provides a little sun protection and the soil is mulched. It's been hot but so far the lettuce is fine. 🤞
Okay, I've been wanting to ask a compost/manure question... I grow a garden at a friend's farm who has some farm animals and ALWAYS has manure! It seems to work well with our garden, but you never mention it as an option. Why is that? Thanks for all the tips!! Blessings!
Thank you, Frank! Appreciate your input! Ours seem to do well also. We do, however, get alot of bugs. Not sure if the manure compost has anything to do with that. We do not use raised beds.
I’m in Texas now with triple digit temps through the 10 day forecast. What are your thoughts and direct sowing or indoor seedling Purple Romain? I have shade cloth
oh man i need this 😫 my lettuce bolted 4 feet tall and it's so bitter that nobody can eat it. i thought maybe it was the crazy heatwaves, we've been averaging 100F
I plant black seeded Simpson on August 1-15 and let it grow all winter in Zone 6A. I put a cold frame over it in November and can pick lettuce until spring. Temperature will get down to -5 F.
@@greythumbshenanigans559 I built mine t fit on our 4 foot wide raised beds. So it is 4 feet x 5 feet and about a foot tall. I had a couple of used storm windows that I lay over the top.
I like to pick the biggest leaves off of each plant and let the smaller leaves keep growing. However, you don't have to do it that way. It will grow again.
There is a 'crown' at the center of lettuce and that is basically where new leaves and growth come out. If you cut the outer leaves and avoid the center the plant will grow more leaves. If you cut the plant all the way to the ground, or pick All the leaves the plant will be unable to continue to grow and will die. Good luck!
I had to pull all my beautiful Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce because it got infested with aphids. I tried to wash it so we could eat it but it wilted into mush. Does anyone have any advice?
I tried a few different ways to grow lettuce, direct in my plot, and in containers but the slugs and snails destroyed the plants as soon as it rained.
So I tried growing under cover, I made my own plastic covered wooden frame and grew Butter head lettuce.
The frame kept the soil completely dry, slugs do not like dry soil.
I watered directly around the base of each plant keeping the surrounding soil dry.
My lettuce are perfect!!!
No slug damage, no bolting whatsoever.
When I have more lettuce then I can eat, I put the surplus in a blender with a little bit of water then pour into ice cube trays and make lettuce ice cubes. Put those in the freezer and add them to your smoothies. That way you still get the nutrition from your harvest. Sometimes, I have to run a little bit of hot water along the bottom of the cube trays to loosen them out. Then I store them in a Ziploc baggie in the freezer.
So smart ❤ ty for the advice
1. don't delay picking; eat 'em when they look their best
2. stagger plantings
3. heat-tolerant varieties (e.g. slo-bolt, red romaine, bronze guard, oakleaf)
4. plant 'em extra close to keep soil covered
I'm really curious whether simply shading the area where the lettuce is being grown would work...
@@mirozen_,I find that using a shade cloth helps a lot.
Thanks for this summary -- this is what I wanted to know!
Thank you!
@@mirozen_ you can also try growing them in pots and when the weather is hot just move them into a shaded part of the yard or something, my lettuce plants are doing very well even though we’ve been in the high 90’s for a week now and with proper watering and with a nice layer of mulch they’ve been thriving still, been doing it for the last few years with great success
Thanks Luke! I have been trying to improve on my lettuce growing techniques. I saw one person comment that they make lettuce ice cubes from putting it in the blender. I do a similar thing, take a bunch of lettuce cuts and blender it with carrots, celery, and parsley and some water. I put a couple blenders full in a large pot and simmer about 20 minutes then put in containers and freeze. I can thaw one out and warm up for a delicious broth drink
All great tips! One thing I like to do is put all my lettuce beds on the east side of my house where they only get four hours of sun a day. They seem to do best there .
I grew buttercrunch that I purchased from you guys and I couldn't believe how easy and delicious was even in July! I did grew some into heads because my family loves crunchy type heads and they were picture perfect!
Landscape covers? I've been using them in my 105 degree heat (blocks out 90% sunlight) in the afternoon and it prevents the leaves from heat scorch as well as keeping the soil moist and cool. Mulch helps, too.
We've been hovering right around 100 also. One of my beds gets quite a bit of shade. The lettuces, peas and basil are very happy there.
Here in Central Texas, we started up with insane heat very early in the season, making gardening in general tough. We have to be very conservative with water or risk our wells drying up….it’s not raining either. While I had a decent lettuce harvest, it ended fairly early so I’m considering growing inside under grow lights to maybe have some going year round. By the way…the black seeded Simpson I grew from your seed (well, everything I got from you, Luke) grew so well and I think was the most delicious lettuce I’ve ever had! I’ve found I do better starting in growing trays and planting starts out vs direct sowing because something always attacks the tiny seedlings. Using a bed that gets more protection from late afternoon sun is key.
Fake MI Gardener 👆
ua-cam.com/video/PqArMDSq4Fo/v-deo.html😊
I love those little beds too. I have a huge, overwhelming garden. I am 53 years old and have a hard time getting down- or getting up actually. I need to do a little different in our garden. I love your video, Luke. You always encourage me in one way or another. My lettuce was bitter and bolted. I like this thought. Thank you.
Keep trying! Last year I wasn’t able to grow lettuce in the summer but this year I’ve had success, growing it close together in window boxes and keep starting new seeds. Using the containers has worked out well.
I have been growing slo-bolt from MiGardener and have been blown away. It has been growing since early May and still producing without bittering
I planted lettuce in a Greenstalk so it’s close to the kitchen door, pick outer leaves for cut and come again use, and pulled bolted/bitter plants to replant herbs/lettuce seed directly. It has 30 spots for plants which makes a delicious planter with very clean lettuce leaves for ease in harvesting.
So happy with Slow Bolt variety!!! Scattered seed, cut the tops, they grow back. Very close together so soil always covered.
Excellent! Thanks! I'm going to start planting lettuces more closely instead of spacing them out.
I gave up growing salad greens outside. I'd have to wait till October for the weather to cool and for the chance of heat waves to lower. I live in SoCal. I grow them inside now and they grow so nicely. Had my first harvest today. I got two large bowls worth of salad greens.
Thanks Luke.
Thank you, sir, for another valuable video.
I’ll try some of these. I have been growing Salanova which never bolts for me and they come pelleted which works out great.
I’ve been using your same method that I learned from you a few years ago. Love this method so much.
Great tips Luke! I’m newer to gardening and lettuce is one of those things I love to grow (and eat!) but it does love to go to seed as soon as the heat hits.
Love the science facts in your videos. 🙂
Thank Luke!🙂
Blessings! 💜
Good looking greens 🥬😊💚🍀👍🥬
Brilliiant. Exactly what we do here in Ohio, though our garden is much smaller (living, as we do, on a postage-stamp Cleveland city lot) so no soil sits fallow for long. We sow lettuce every month in spring (started in late March to plant out in April). Then, starting in early June, we sow starts inside every two weeks, moving them to the picnic table after they've sprouted. This gives us a steady supply of mature, strong starts to replace plants as they bolt. Bottom line: We save $5 to $10 a week for two people buying lettuce for salads.
PS. Black Seeded Simpson is one of our summer lettuces, along with Oak Leaf and Gand Rapids. They''re all slow to bolt. We also have a lot of success growing romaine in the heat, though have gone to leaf lettuce so we can harvest the outer leaves during the summer.
Love you, Luke, thanks.
I am going to give this a shot! Thank you
Great advise and thanks again! Grow Big
Oh my goodness thank you so much for doing this video!!!!! Love your channel!!!! 💕
awesome video Luke and I well definitely remember to look up those lettuce variety's for my fall garden
Shade cloth and lots of mulch 👍🏼
I just wanted to say thank you. I received my first order of seeds from Migardener. I love the care that went into the information on each seed packet. Very informative, with great suggestions. Very pleasant experience. :)
Very interesting; pretty lettuce!
This may also apply to other greens like spinach, mustard, bok choy. The last one is my favorite. Collards too
Thanks Luke!
I learned so much from this! Thank you.
This is my first garden summer. Slow Bolt lettuce has been amazing. It’s July 26, and it’s still growing strong. It’s growing in an 18-gallon tote in a partially shaded area. I did succession gardening and planted thickly like you recommended. This will be my go-to summer lettuce. Thanks for all your informative videos.
Timely advice, thank you!
great video!!!! thank you always for the information!!!
Is it shade cloth???
luke, please remember that some people live in places with different climates or in the southern hemisphere (like me) and we would greatly benefit from you saying what stage of the season you're in rather than the month itself, it can be confusing and makes us have to first figure out what season it would be in that month for you, then reverse it, then figure out how hot/cold it'd be for you and how that would translate for us, which unless you pause the video, will distract you
i just think it'd be more universal and would get more people on board
i say this as a long time viewer of the channel, keep it up
I'm still in the first year at my allotment. No matter what I do, I get alot of weeds coming through in my beds. I tried leaf lettuce last summer but I couldn't even tell what was a weed or lettuce😂 I'm growing heads for now but still want to try your method
I’m still eating merlot and green romaine and kale transplanted in April may
Thanks will order for next year. 👍🏻😊
I am a safety trainer for FedEx & Ground Cloud, but I love to learn about growing & you are one of The Masters I learn from :-) I love your videos, Thank you, so very much :-) I work late & end up watering late, sometimes I water by flashlight... that is still okay?
That was good
Thank you
romaine is doing well for me so far but will probably try a shade cloth over it next year if we get the high heat like we have this year.
If you live in Michigan, I ask you to Please consider voting the Three O’s: Soldano, Deperno and Karamo. 💯❤️🇺🇸
Good tips, Luke, but I’d like to know when to plant for a fall crop. Is August too soon? A freak hail storm last week in central VA destroyed my lettuce…and other vegetables.
Hi luke. I noticed you don't use mulch in your garden when you talk about keeping the soil cool.
QUESTION ? How do you keep deer out of lettuce? besides a fence?
shade cloth with cattle panel, works but will they germinate at higher temps.... trying this year
We had bitter Basil in year two. Perfect in year one, but a chemical type smell and taste in year two.
Awesomeness 🤩!
When you say space plants close together, how close?
How much water do you use per lettuce on the summer. Or If per bed , how long is the the bed and how many lands per bed
Do you have a video of you sowing the seed?
I need to learn this one forsure 😜
Slo-bolt lettuce really is slow bolting. I have some going right now in zone 8a in Virginia.
Hi Luke I purchased your Catalonia beans can you tell me if that’s a bush or a vine a climber
Only way to grow it in summer in Florida is to keep it shielded from the heavy daytime sun. I keep my lettuce under my palm trees which are about 15-20 ft high and they do a good job of shielding from heavy sun. Even this only works until mid June. Eventually the weather and pest will win
After that we have to use only certain species of lettuce/spinach etc. or use grow lights indoors
Can you soak bitter lettuce to take out the bitter taste?
I have found that using a shade cloth also helps prolong the life of my lettuce.
??Are you using a drip irrigation system, or do you water it by hand?
Man, I needed this today! Thanks 🌱🌿🪴💕💕💕💕💕💕💕
Congratulations on the grand opening. I have a random question for you. I live in New England and was not able to plant my garden until June 1st this year. Will my carrots, onions or cabbage planted from seed (MIgardener seeds) mature ? When should I harvest? Should I pull them and replant for a fall harvest? Help me Luke 😁 thanks. Timbercat Matt
Your carrots and cabbage will be fine (cabbage will vary a bit more based on the variety and location, I would shade from mid afternoon sun).
As for onions, most varieties need to be planted in fall (oct/nov), grown through winter and harvested in summer. I think certain varieties exist that can bulb the same year. If you are lucky you may get some tiny bulbs by early winter but at this point you are probably better trying to let them grow over the winter (never tried planting them this early so cannot speak to the results). If it helps, I still have cabbage growing currently, though I am letting it go to seed, it would have been perfect to eat 2 or 3 weeks ago, although a bit small.
Did you plant your lettuce from seed outside?
I've been growing various romaine lettuces in raised beds this year and so far nothing has bolted. I'm growing it under mosquito netting which provides a little sun protection and the soil is mulched. It's been hot but so far the lettuce is fine. 🤞
How can we know which l'étude is heat tolérant ?
Okay, I've been wanting to ask a compost/manure question...
I grow a garden at a friend's farm who has some farm animals and ALWAYS has manure! It seems to work well with our garden, but you never mention it as an option. Why is that? Thanks for all the tips!! Blessings!
I can tell you that I've had great results using chicken and rabbit manure. The plants just love it.
Thank you, Frank! Appreciate your input! Ours seem to do well also. We do, however, get alot of bugs. Not sure if the manure compost has anything to do with that. We do not use raised beds.
I’m in Texas now with triple digit temps through the 10 day forecast. What are your thoughts and direct sowing or indoor seedling Purple Romain? I have shade cloth
If you use a shade cloth you would have them stay good longer
Should I continue to succession plant now when it's sustained 102-105 temps for weeks on end?
Thx
I'm in New Mexico, is it too late to start more lettuce in a container bed?
oh man i need this 😫 my lettuce bolted 4 feet tall and it's so bitter that nobody can eat it. i thought maybe it was the crazy heatwaves, we've been averaging 100F
Aaah I didn't know this was possible
Tis news to me as well.
My well stopped 20 days…and lettuce is seeding…is there a video of gathering seeds, a first for me at age 64! Oak leaf, slow bolt, red romaine, ….
I grew black seeded Simpson multiple times and when it bolts it gets a milky bitter sap.
I plant black seeded Simpson on August 1-15 and let it grow all winter in Zone 6A. I put a cold frame over it in November and can pick lettuce until spring. Temperature will get down to -5 F.
@@charlesdevier8203 any recommendations for videos on a cold frame or what you use? That sounds like something I'd love to do!
@@greythumbshenanigans559 I built mine t fit on our 4 foot wide raised beds. So it is 4 feet x 5 feet and about a foot tall. I had a couple of used storm windows that I lay over the top.
Also, I planted red romaine at the end of July and it didn't germinate. Is this normal?
We’re is the rest of the lettuce ?
Your garden has been looking pretty bare lately. Busy?
Transition time. Late summer heat takes a toll and once the weather flips we will have lots of fall crops.
I’ve been trying to single stem tomato plant. Can anyone tell me How big should I allow the plant to get before I let it bare tomatoes?
I’m trying kratcky to grow our lettuce indoors. So once you harvest, is that planting done? Or will it grow again?
I like to pick the biggest leaves off of each plant and let the smaller leaves keep growing. However, you don't have to do it that way. It will grow again.
There is a 'crown' at the center of lettuce and that is basically where new leaves and growth come out. If you cut the outer leaves and avoid the center the plant will grow more leaves. If you cut the plant all the way to the ground, or pick All the leaves the plant will be unable to continue to grow and will die.
Good luck!
What do you call those dead pieces of green stuff left in the bottom of a bowl of Caesar salad?
The last romaines. Now lettuce pray for them.
hilarious
🤣🤣🤣
Hi algorithm, this is an engagement ring 💍
Salanova lettuce takes a long time to bolt but it's pretty pricey seed.
I had to pull all my beautiful Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce because it got infested with aphids. I tried to wash it so we could eat it but it wilted into mush. Does anyone have any advice?
Wash with ice cold water and let it sit in the water a few minutes. Spin it or shake it dry so as not to bruise it.
Bitter boys grow bitter lettuce folks.
I thought it was just me. My Lettuce is always bitter.
you look like Steven Crowder, cept a lot cooler because you garden
you dont know me. i'll eat 3 pound salads all day
I thought romaine was good in heat
First to second comment!
What about shade cloth and bug netting?