Questions about growing lettuce

[ShowersofBlessings]

What can you tell me about growing lettuce? I know it doesn't like too much heat and that is about it. How much lettuce does a typical plant yield? Can I grow it in pots? How much space does it need? Thanks.

[Blue-EyedLady]

Lettuce likes really cool weather. It's well suited to container gardening. In theory, each plant yields one head of lettuce. However, some people prefer to just pick a few leaves off of each plant when harvesting, rather than waiting for an entire head to form. I find that the plants bolt before actually forming a head, so I just pick leaves.

There are a huge number of lettuce varieties. I'm growing a Tom Thumb variety this year which is supposed to need very little space. Other plants require more space. The back of the seed packet should tell you how much space it needs.

[ReedleBeetle]

We prefer baby spinach and leaf lettuce here. Mostly leaf lettuce (butterhead or buttercrunch....yum!) It does not need a lot of room, and you can cut the leaves and it will continue to grow. How much you get depends on the space you give it. I have found that I can extend the growing season for lettuce if I place it in an area that gets morning sun and shade from noon on. If grown in containers, you could move it inside during the hottest part of the summer and probably keep it going all summer long. Once it bolts, it's done.

[flowermama]

I'm so glad you asked! Reading this makes me definitely want to try growing lettuce this year. I love spinach. Maybe I could try that, too. I'd like to have kale, too. I wonder if that is hard to grow.

Okay, I have a question. . . what is bolting?

[ReedleBeetle]

Bolting is when lettuces go to seed. It does NOT taste good at that point. It usually happens when the heat of the day increases as you get near mid summer. I typically do 2 seasons of crops on these. A spring and a fall. So, spring lettuce is usually done (here) around mid-late June. The fall crop would go in early Aug. Lettuce that matures in the colder temps is SOOOOO good! Also, if you always cut in the earlier part of the day, your leaves will taste sweeter.

I have never tried to grow kale. I have seen seeds for it. I'm certain it wouldn't be any harder, although, it might be getting a bit late in the season to start that. You could grab seeds while they are in the stores though and start it in Aug. and have a fall crop! Make sure your soil is very loose (I usually mix in peat moss and some compost/humus) and then sprinkle the seeds on and lightly cover with soil.

[doubleblessings]

Yes to what they said. Although here in ga, my spring crop is usually done before june and i have never gotten a good head. Also, most of ours doesn't keep well. We pick it shortly before we will eat it.

[ReedleBeetle]

Oh, yes, I pick the day of eating. Isaac will grab snacks from the lettuce bed when he is outside playing too.

[ShowersofBlessings]

Originally Posted by flowermama

I'm so glad you asked! Reading this makes me definitely want to try growing lettuce this year. I love spinach. Maybe I could try that, too. I'd like to have kale, too. I wonder if that is hard to grow.

Okay, I have a question. . . what is bolting?

I have never grown Kale. But apparently, it grows well in our area. I took a tour of a personal garden recently and she still has Kale growing. She planted it last year and it has grown all through the summer and winter except for about six weeks in the coldest part of the year. She only has to plant it once a year and then can eat Kale almost all year long.

I am interested in the leaf lettuce. So I was wondering if it would be worth it to buy the plants, bit it sounds like maybe not. They are on sale for $1.99 this week. But if I can only get one head/bunch, then it is much cheaper just to buy the lettuce ready to eat. Would I get more leaf lettuce than head lettuce? Or maybe I should just start from seed...

[ReedleBeetle]

I do leaf lettuce from seed. It is ready to start harvesting some in about 3 weeks, IIRC. I basically sprinkle it lightly all over the surface of the dirt and then kind of pat it to help it settle down in and lightly cover. It is probably one of the easiest things to grow.

[Punkie]

Originally Posted by ReedleBeetle

I do leaf lettuce from seed. It is ready to start harvesting some in about 3 weeks, IIRC. I basically sprinkle it lightly all over the surface of the dirt and then kind of pat it to help it settle down in and lightly cover. It is probably one of the easiest things to grow.

I agree. Don't bother buying the plants. Lettuce grows really easily from seed, and it doesn't transplant well. I do the same thing as ReedleBeetle: I sprinkle the seeds over the surface and pat them down. Then I usually just pinch leaves off once the plant has enough that I won't be killing it by taking a leaf or two.

You can get started with very few supplies. You can even grow lettuce in the clamshell containers that you buy lettuce in at the grocery store - http://www.motherearthnews.com/homes...#axzz2ytVgcDtr

[cro]

Originally Posted by ReedleBeetle

Bolting is when lettuces go to seed. It does NOT taste good at that point. It usually happens when the heat of the day increases as you get near mid summer. I typically do 2 seasons of crops on these. A spring and a fall. So, spring lettuce is usually done (here) around mid-late June. The fall crop would go in early Aug. Lettuce that matures in the colder temps is SOOOOO good! Also, if you always cut in the earlier part of the day, your leaves will taste sweeter.

Good to know! I grew leaf lettuce last year, but by the time we picked it, it was bitter and nasty.

[canadiyank]

Originally Posted by cro

Good to know! I grew leaf lettuce last year, but by the time we picked it, it was bitter and nasty.

Probably was already too hot for it. I had that happen the first year I tried to grow it, but have been successful since.