A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Woohoo Lettuce

...ok, so they are just little tinny sprouts. But 2 of the 6 seeds I planted have come up. And it's only been 5 days so I am feeling very optimistic.

Yep, mines up too, along with my radishes, beets, onions and potatoes. I can hardly wait to eat that first salad of the season! Let's pray the bunnies stay in the clover!

hehehehe

i fooled the silly rabbit (i'm doing the lettuce indoors in a big container). I figured Virginia would be way to hot for it so ... i'm going to try keeping it in the apartment with me. But then I live in the middle of a developed area so I probably wouldn't get a rabbit anyway. And with my soft heart when it comes to furry animals I'd have probably let it have the garden and then run to the store to buy it more. I know my common sense is lacking.

Would you look at that 5 of the 6 lettuce seeds have sprouted. I guess that I shold have spaced them out more. Now I get to dread the thinning process when they start to crowd one another. I couldn't just let them fight it out amongst themselves could I? There is so much I have to learn.

I grew a loose leaf type.a 52 day thing& can start picking some in about 2-3 weeks& sowed another type yesterday was just a few seeds in it(kinda chintzy for 97 cents.I bet was only 15 seeds)

Loose leaf lettuce? um like spinach? That is just a guess I've never seen spinach in the ground. What does it taste like, 52 days is really quick. What are some names of some? I love lettuce over the hot summer months.

TK,
I love Black Seeded Simpson loose leaf lettuce..
Yummmmmmy....

You know what you can do for experiment with having to "thin" your plants, while they are still little enough, that it won't stress them
too much..

Pull the one out that you want to "thin"
and take a little pencil or something like that...
and poke the pencil in the dirt, not too deep,
then pull out the seedling lettuce you want to
thin, pull it out, and then take that seedling and put it in the little holw you poked..then gently push in (with fingers up to the plant's base) to have good contact with the roots....
water a wee bit, you may need to hold on to the plant to keep it from tilting over...

Hey, you'll never know useless you give it a try..
I had the same problem thinning carrots, I took a tiny twig and poked it into the ground..
I couldn't stand selectively picking which plants lived and which one dies...

Weezie

Thank you for the name of a loose leaf lettuce Weezie. I definitely want to try some. Maybe not right now but possible in the fall. Is it still possible to buy seeds in the fall on line?

hehehehehe,

7 sprouts from 6 seeds guess who can't count. I'm going to wait 2 weeks from their planting before trying to separate then and save the ones that should be thinned. Do you think that is alright?

I woke up this morning and guess what.... yeppers 8 sprouts. I think I need a stronger perscription on my glasses.

well 5 of the sprouts are now dead. It got really hot yesterday and I think that probably did it. But who knows.

TK, check out my reply under your black thumb post and see if that might be what the problem is.

Well all the lettuce are dead. But that's ok, live and learn. I have a new plan. I'm going to take the rest of the ranunculus and put them in that pot. I'm going to try the milk bottle drip watering system. I figure they either will or they won't.

Okay Tammy, I know I've asked this question
somewhere's, just can't remember where????

What kind of dirt did you use..?

And what did they look like when they died???

Weezie

Dead? They're all dead? Oh no! I was reading this thread holding my breath. I just knew there would be a happy ending. Well, I've actually cried before when my tomatoe plants died. LOL.

Belle

Hi Weezie, it was the miracle grow with an addition of peat moss to lighten it up. And they looked fine to me, but I've never tried them before so I don't know what they should look like. They were sprouts just seed leaves no true leaves. They looked very thin for their hieght which hadn't even reached an inch yet. The stems were white and the leaves green. From talking to none they probably didn't get enough light from the type of florescent I bought. And the pot was to big to get anywhere near one of my windows.

Hi Bell, ...don't mention tomatoes they aren't doing well either. The ones I gave my landlord are growing like weeds right downstairs. Mine are turning brown.

TK:

Go downstairs tonight and steal back one of those tomato plants. There's an old southern wives tale that stolen plants are always good producers. I can't tell you how many times I've had to keep my Momma, and one of the ladies she goes to church with, from filching a plant from a public (or private) place.

Belle

Oh my

How about if I just make him grow them then whine until he gives me some of the produce? I'm a baddddddd girl. And it's all chippys fault. hehehehe

LOL. Do you really have a pet squirrel, TK? (And, no I don't have a pet snail.)

Belle

Chippy the chipmonk is actually one of Bills wild creatures. I've only seen them a couple times in my life. I do have a nieghborhood gray squirrel that hangs out in the weed patch. I feed him nuts and he occassionally takes a swipe at the garden but not often. Mostly he just likes to watch. Muffin is a sparrow who comes to my window ledge for bits of bread and muffin that I crumble there for her. She is very chatty and I like the company. I would love to have a parrot for an indoor bird but have never had that kind of money.

Ooops! I know I offended Chippy calling him a squirrel, LOL. I had a petted mocking bird who would take grapes off the bench beside me, and would even take them out of my hand sometimes! I love to watch the 'wild' creatures about.

Belle

Chippy thinks it's swell that he looks as tall as a squirrel in that picture.

I think maybe I'm the one that's kind of squirrelly tonight, it's been a long day.

Wish I could have gotten a picture this morning. I went into the kitchen and there was Muffin at the window completely soaked from the rain. She was very put out that breakfast wasn't ready yet. She tried to fluff her feathers at me but it just didn't work when they were that wet.