A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Lettuce

So Laura gives me odd looks sometimes(remember she's a newbie gardener) when I tell her what I am about to do.So I know when I start growing lettuce under my lights downstairs it will be no different. Every winter I have a few herbs and plants that won't make it outside in a Minnesota winter down there, I even have a carrot from last summer, that I will plant out for next season to go to seed.If you like the store bought lettuce, fine, but with a few lights and a shallow(4"deep) tray, you can have some fresh lettuce in no time, yeah I may be a fanatic, but I GOTTA GROW!!!

Phil,
Do you grow your seeds for out door growing?
Or do you grow them in the house right now??
I do have to learn sometime to grow seeds!
I had two nice members send me some seeds of Tomatoes..... and I must start them.
I'm guilty of usually having seeds that mother
nature seeds her self to grow, and I don't do
much work for them....I let the compost pile start my tomato seeds for me...

Also, can you pull up your post about compost tea's? I wanted to respond to that, and couldn't find it/?? I want to post to it after I get back from school!

Weezie

Phil I have never grown lettuce before but that sounds like an excellent way to keep those darn slugs out. What kind of light do you use and length of time per day!

What kind of lettuce to you recommend growing that isn't the bitter stuff. Romaine is about as far as I go....usually it is just boring iceberg.

Karen,
I love Romaine, and the green
and red leaf lettuce!! oh, yummy!!
I used our own aged apple vinegar
and Kosher salt!!

Weezie

I have grown several different types of lettuce indoors, at this time I will plant a mesclun mix, not only has it been tasty, but I was satisfying my urge to garden!! As far as light, well I have 8 flourescent fixtures that hold two 40 watt bulbs each, and a grow light from HELL But, I only use 4 of the flourescent fixtures for the plants I keep inside and a couple of flats of lettuce. About 11 hours of light will do. The rest of the lights go on about febuary 15th. Weezie, I raise almost all my seed, do to the fact I raise only one or two hybrid varieties, the rest are heirloom or open pollinated. I will be glad to send you or anyone a few seeds to try.The afore mentioned Carrot, they will only set seed the second year and the last one I wintered over and set out reached 5 ft. 6" tall!

I ordered seeds from Harris seeds and got a "bonus pack" of Harmony Lettuce. I also got a pack of Salad Bowl Lettuce. Is lettuce something that I can start as seeds and then transplant into the garden??

I'm not sure of the variety you have there, if it is a head type or iceberg lettuce you may start them indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost, otherwise, if you have adequate sunlight or you have lights and would like(need) some fresh lettuce, grow some!!!

The Harmony variety was the "bonus pack" that was sent to me. The supplier sends bonus packs to people who spend a certain amount. The bonus packs are plants that the supplier doesn't carry. They give you the packs for you to use and then ask that you get back to them and tell them how you liked the seeds. If they get enough positive responses, then they supply that seed.

ANYWAYS, I don't really have a need for lettuce right away. I work at a produce stand and have access to an ample supply of seconds....which are usually just really small heads. I couldn't find any info about transplanting lettuce tho. Thanks for the time frame....it fits in with alot of other seeds that I will be starting during that time.

Aehh . That definatly answers a few questions for me! I had heard that indoor lettuce didn't grow very well but hoped otherwise I guese it's with normal indoor lighting that it fails. You've made my a happy boy/man tecniquely it's the second but who knows? Any other indoor tips crop tips? I've started a new topic already any help would be great!

I agree with you weezie! The apple vinegar and kosher salt sounds realy, realy good In retrospect I would say I didn't wan't to eat anything due to having to kill it for me to live and the romain lettuce has a kind of earthy tast which let me think I was living off dirt and water like the plants, the most peaceful and giving life on earth. At the time the thought of eating anything made me feel sick but when I ate the lettuce I felt like a bunny which was kind of plessant just got caried away. :rolleyes:

Lettuce can do that!!
It's soooooooooo yummy!!!

My second favorite lettuce is
the red and green leaf lettuce!!!


I may sometime try those mesculin mixes
that they have, I try them in salads
when I go out, like once a year!
but, in those precut bags of lettuce...

And they just look fun to grow!!!!!!!
Cute shapes!!!

Weezie

Geez!! I'm 24 and just now learning to like lettuce!!! Well, I wouldn't say "like"...is more "tolerate". I tend to drown it in my 3 cheese ranch dressing , which, BTW, is REALLY good!! And I don't like Romaine at all....partial on iceburg. I really like the boston and the green leaf.

Jennifer,
I was brought up on regular head lettuce.
(Iceberg)
The parents grew a garden, I ate some of the baby green leaf lettuce that my mother grew, and I liked that, cause it was reasonably close to taste or texture of the iceberg...

Over a period of time, eating strickly green leaf lettuce from the garden only, I didn't start eating romaine lettuce until
I GREW IT!!!!
I will admit, the first year I thought, wow, this stuff is tough, but after growing it a few years in a row, with the green leaf lettuce... I also took the plunge of growing the red leaf lettuce.

I also grew the very first year of gardening head lettuce, well, I"ll tell you as much as I like iceberg lettuce, I dont' think I will grow the head lettuce again until I have lets say, more time to putter, as the leaf would grow and curl up and around it'self, the dirt from the rain would splash down on it, and be inside the head,
as well as every bug in the valley, that got close to the head lettuce, ground, dirt, water or what ever! That left me a little less, oh, how shall I say the word with out sounding funny, picky, I'd rather eat a little bit tougher lettuce than bugs!!!
(Now, back when I first did this, I was poor and had nothing to cover the dirt, I now have acquired some landscaping fabric, and may, mind you MAY try it again... and see if that will change my mind...
So, maybe when you if you go that same route and get frustrated at the dirt and bugs in the head lettuce, you may try the romaine's and actually like them,..............

Also remember your taste buds' change, and you may not like them now , but don't leave the door completely closed on somethings, you may be very surprised.....and the thrill of growing it yourself, may be the very ticket you need to expand your eating repertoire`.

Weezie

Weezie,
I used to do alot of biking and I've found that a lot of bugs taste suprizingly sweet! Maby if you do try the iceburg again and it doesn't go any better your tast buds will adapt.

Apples,
I'm not quite that hard up for a meat supply yet!!
But thanks for the thought!!! :rolleyes:
Weezie

I'm still sticking with my 3 cheese ranch dressing! Since I started working at the produce stand in the farmer's market, I'm learning alot about veggies. There is this lady who works with me named Ruth. She is the sweetest lady in the world and knows soo much about everything. I've been bugging her with alot of questions lately too.

Totally off the subject...
I just found out what brussel sprouts look like when they grow. They are soo interesting!! Too bad I'm the only one here who eats them!!

Awww! I wish I had more ground for a big veggie garden! I had been throwing around the idea of starting a raised bed out in my back yard, but since my backyard is smaller than my front yard I was just going to set up the back for BBQing and hanging out....plus we're doing a garden railroad out back so I won't have room!

Containers, Containers, Containers!!
You can grow lettuce in one of those type or planter boxes that attach themselves to a porch
banister, do you know what I mean...
And they like it shaded from the hot sun.....
(morning light, or late afternoon)
I did tomatoes in clean 5 gallon buckets for my parents the one year my mom was sick and my dad wans't feeling well..
I did everything in containers, it was very new to me, I did alright I thought, not the HUGE BOUNTY I'm used to from the regular garden,
but the fun of doing research on it, and gathering items, and actually seeing it grow, and having a handfull of this and that, was way better than nothing at all, and my parents both enjoyed seeing it..

Barb,
Do you have area's that a pot or container or
two could go into???

Weezie

Info on Container Gardening

Container Garden Ideas Plus Recipes

http://www.provenwinners.com/recipes/comborecipes.phtml

Why Container Garden?

http://www.plantacontainer.com/Why_Container_Garden.html

Barb H,

We have small yards also, so we do our gardening in containers...for vegetables, fruit trees and flowering plants.

My mom and dad lived in a small condo with a back yard and patio in the Seattle area for a while. They grew two or three kinds of lettuces and tomatoes, and i'm not sure what else, all in 5 gallon buckets. She liked the leaf lettuce because she could just pull off enough leaves for that day's salad and the lettuce would keep on growing.