The Poultry Keeper

worldor · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 109 Location: West Midlands

Hello everyone

I love lettuce. Not iceburg or those new fangled things but old fashioned round lettuce. Trouble is the stuff you buy from the supermarket just doesn't come up to scratch. I would like to grow my own. What is the best variety for lots of heart and crunchyness and what is the best way to grow it when I don't have a vegetable garden or even a greenhouse.

Chris

Knobby · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 10:33 am Post subject:

Lettuce as we know it today originated from the weed Lactuca serriola (prickly lettuce). There is evidence that lettuce was cultivated during Egyptian times. Lettuce is easy to grow in many climates. Lettuce can be tucked in flowerbeds, grown under cucumber trellises or in raised beds and containers. Lettuce can be started indoors or direct seeded in the garden.

There are several types of lettuce and many cultivars to choose from - each with its own texture, taste, and color.

Crisp head (a.k.a. iceberg) is a crispy and juicy type. It needs to be planted early.

Butterhead, Boston, or Bibb lettuce is a soft and succulent type. It has large leaves that form a lose head that can be harvested all at once.

Leaf lettuce is the easiest kind of lettuce to grow. The leaves form an open rosette and lettuce leaves can be harvested singly.

Summer Crisp lettuce is also known as French crisp or Batavia lettuce. It is a crisp lettuce that can be harvested at any stage.

Romaine or Cos lettuce has long, broad leaves that form bunches when mature. It is sweet, crispy, and juicy.

Lettuce grows in many climates given the right soil and season conditions. Lettuces generally like to grow in partial to full shade. Lettuce is best when it is grown quickly and pampered a bit with good soil and adequate moisture so it doesn't bolt (send up a flowering stalk) or become bitter and tough.

In warmer climates grow lettuce varieties that are heat tolerant. During the summer and grow cool season lettuces in the fall, winter, and early spring.

In cool climates, grow warm season cultivars in the summer and cool season lettuces in the early spring and fall- you can even sow seeds in late fall for an early spring crop.

Soil
Lettuce likes a partly sunny to shady spot with soil rich in humus that retains moisture. Lettuce grows best in temperatures ranging from 55°-65°. The optimum pH is 6.5 to 6.8.

Spacing
Spacing for lettuce depends somewhat on the kind of lettuce planted. If you are planning to harvest the entire head of lettuce then give the plants more room. For example, lettuce grown to produce heads should be given 8"-12" apart in all directions. Lettuce that will be harvested leaf by leaf should be planted much closer, with ½" between the starts. Spacing can even be random and tight if you intend to harvest the lettuce very young.

Lettuce is pretty forgiving and great crop to use for interplanting - planting in and among other vegetables. Give the main crop room to grow and allow enough space for good air circulation.

Direct Seeding
Lettuce is a good crop for direct seeding. Make sure the bed is prepared well and the soil is moist. Lettuce germinates best in cool soil (40°-60°) and becomes temporarily dormant if it is too hot.

Sow lettuce seeds ½" deep in rows 1½" apart. Lettuce plants have a shallow, compact root system. Make sure there are enough nutrients available by mixing in compost before sowing the seeds.

Broadcast lettuce seeds over the bed and rake lightly so they are covered with a very thin layer of topsoil for harvest as young lettuce.

Seeding For Transplants
Lettuce can be started indoors for early planting in the spring or for succession planting. Start lettuce seeds in trays with individual cells. Start them under lights if available as lettuce seeds need light to germinate. Be careful not to cover the seeds with soil, gently pressing the seeds into the moist starting mix is enough to ensure good germination. For best results, start seeds one month before planting out.

Try to start successive batches of lettuce instead of starting a whole tray or seed package. You will be able to use more lettuce if you have a continuous supply rather than a huge crop ready all at once.

Germination
seeds germinate best in soils around 40°F-60°F. Germination will take 7-14 days.

Transplanting Into the Garden
Transplant lettuce to the garden when there are at least 4 true leaves on the starts. Make sure the soil is moist before planting.

Watering
Lettuce does not need a lot of water but it does need to be continuously moist. It is important to make sure your lettuce bed does not dry out as this will cause the lettuce to bolt and become bitter. Growing lettuce in a semi-shaded to shaded location and using a straw mulch around the plants helps retain moisture. Water lettuce with a watering wand and concentrate the water at the base of the plant, not on the leaves. Watering the leaves encourages diseases and may damage some varieties of the more delicate lettuces.

Harvesting
Lettuce grows quickly and is ready before flowers appear. The trick to harvesting lettuce is picking it before it is bitter. If flowering stalks appears, the plant is past its prime. Lettuce can be harvested as soon as true leaves appear but let the lettuce plants develop enough so that harvesting 3-4 leaves from the outside of the rosette of each plant will not harm the plant's growth. If you are harvesting the whole lettuce head, wait until it is bigger than the size of your fist and harvest the lettuce before it becomes bitter. If in doubt, try a leaf!

Harvest either the largest, outside leaves or the whole plant. If harvesting tender young lettuce that is tightly spaced use a pair of scissors to cut the lettuce above the soil line.

Post-Harvest Handling
Clean the lettuce of dirt and cool using hydro cooling. Hydro cooling is the process of spraying or immersing vegetables in chilled water.

Storage
Clean, dry lettuce lasts 3-5 days in optimum conditions though lettuce is best eaten fresh. Lettuce can be stored for 2-3 weeks at 32° and 98%-100% relative humidity.

Lettuce is very sensitive to ethylene gas so do not store lettuce with vegetables and fruits that give off ethylene gas such as apples and pears.

Diseases
Big Vein, Damping-Off, Downy Mildew, Mosaic Virus, Nematodes, Sclerotinia Drop, Soft Rot, and Tip Burn

Pests
Bulb Mites, Cutworms, Darkling Beetles, Field Cricket, Garden Symphylans, Leafminers, Springtails, Armyworm, Beet Armyworm, Corn Earworm and Tobacco Budworm, Loopers, Saltmarsh Caterpillar, Foxglove Aphid, Green Peach and Potato Aphids, Lettuce Aphid, Lettuce Root Aphid, Silverleaf Whitefly, and Slugs

Comments
The key to growing lettuce is starting successive batches a week or two apart to ensure that you have a continuous supply throughout the growing season.

An insecticidal soap or handpicking usually alleviates the majority of lettuce pests. Use a beer trap for the slugs. A beer trap is a shallow dish placed level with the soil and filled with beer.

CP · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 10:36 am Post subject:

ooooOOOOOOOOOooooo Knobby! A lettuce expert! Who would've known? Very Happy

Knobby · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 10:39 am Post subject:

I know....im quite surprised !! Very Happy

Lisa · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 10:47 am Post subject:

Sounds like its the "butterhead" lettuces you're after then Chris like this one

I haven't done it myself, but you should be able to grow several of them in a large pot, or a grow bag, just as well as in the ground.

Just protect them well from the chooks, or I bet they'll be gone in a flash!

I've even seen some veggies in hanging baskets. I've tried it myself it with herbs... although in a hanging basket I'd probably go for one of those lettuces with pretty leaves that you can just pick a leaf at a time...

hth,
Lis

PS or if you have any garden you could just dot a few lettuces here and there among the flowers to add some more greenery? Who says veg have to be in a veggie bed anyway?

worldor · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 109 Location: West Midlands

Right. Thanks for that. Butterhead it is then. I'm off to get some now. May have to buy a grow bag and put it high up somewhere as my chickens have the run of the garden.
Chris

Gina · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 471 Location: Kent

O.K own up Knobby - which book did you copy that from?

Lisa · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 2:26 pm Post subject:

Knobby · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 2:27 pm Post subject:

Gina....dont you have ANY faith in me ????? Sad

Lisa · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 2:39 pm Post subject:

Don't worry Knobby! I have faith in you and......

... your ability to use google Wink

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

you could get a window box and grow them in there ~ the black ones like horse mangers are nice. If you grow them in a bag with netting round I think you'd need netting all over the top, my chicks would just jump over ~ as they frequently do .

NannyP · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 4:31 pm Post subject:

Knobby, you sound like you swallowed a Lettuce Book, far to sane and serious for you, own up, or we'll dunk you in hot tea Laughing

Gina · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 471 Location: Kent

I think you are right lisa Very Happy

I also feel his ability to copy and paste is second to none!

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

it made far too heavy reading for me ~ I gave up

Knobby · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 9:01 pm Post subject: