Question about head lettuce

10 years ago

I'm questioning whether I should start my lettuce inside and transplant or just direct sow outside. I'm growing two kinds of head lettuce, romaine and buttercrunch. I've never had good luck forming nice heads because I always started too late and they bolted with the warmth.

I do have a grow light inside, but I think that space might fill up fast with my tomatoes, etc. that I'm also starting this weekend. The forecast here finally looks like Spring (minus the cold and snow that we got this morning) so I'm thinking it might be better to just direct sow them outside.

The next 10 days should average around 50F during the day and in the upper 30s at night. I should be able to plant my lettuce directly outside now, right?

And if we get another cold snap I can use the milk jug trick to give them some protection, right? *I don't have a proper cold frame, just my recycleables and some floating row cover. But don't some people do 'winter sowing' like that with milk jugs?

I put the lettuce in my partly shaded bed because they tolerate shade better than most of my other plants. Will the part shade cause them to get leggy? Or will the cold temps and cool soil mitigate that?

I suppose I could start them in a container outside in full sun and then transplant them to the partly shaded bed once they are bigger, would that help or just be an unnecessary hassle?

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Comments (11)

wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
10 years ago
I like to start some of my lettuce [Skyphos butterhead] inside and the rest outdoors as soon as feasible.......works for me.
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seysonn
10 years ago
If you have indoor resources (space, lights , greenhouse) you can germinate and grow seedlings there. Also a simple hoop or a cold frame will do. I sowed some butterhead lettuce under hoop. They germinated in about a week or so. I will keep them there to get to transplantible size and then I will move them out.

The only reason I find to start COOL CROPS early indoor is that you have a short spring/cool weather and therefore most of them might bolt if you plant them too late. But place like where I am and also in cool Northeast we have a long spring.

The other option for quick satisfaction is to buy seedlings from nurseries. But I fine at (@ $1.75/ per 6) too expensive.
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I don't see any photos either. Bad tastes in lettuce usually come from too much heat or too much dry or too old. The outer leaves are the oldest and most highly flavored. Butter head is a heading lettuce and as such it is best used by harvesting the whole head. Pick off the outer leaves and try the inner ones. It may taste much much better. I don't always eat the outer leaves on my romaine for the same reason.
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Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I will definitely try some of these varieties in the fall. I tried wohlibuli's suggestion and it worked. Of course the lettuce is not like a head of iceberg or anything but much more palatable texture wise and the taste is very good. I also tried some of the mesclun mix this year but I wasn't too impressed with the flavor or texture. I think I waited until the leaves were too big to pick instead of small and tender. They are all bolting now so I might try them again and pick them smaller. I can't believe the simpson hasn't bolted yet. Of course this being my first try with lettuce I wasn't sure what to expect but we are having days in the mid-90's every day now. So I am not sure how much longer we will have lettuce! I guess its time to concentrate on black-eyed peas, cucumber and okra, plus everything else already growing good in my back garden. I appreciate everyone's help and suggestions! Carly
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digdirt2
10 years ago
Until you gain some real hands-on experience, use your last option - outside in a container and then transplant them to the garden. Both varieties transplant well.

That way you can get a jump start on the season AND eliminate the spacing problems you seem to have in the past that not only prevents head formation but encourages bolting. Increase the spacing.

Dave
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User
10 years ago
By this time of year, you won't get any real advantage starting lettuce inside.
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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
10 years ago
I get about 3-4 weeks advantage.
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User
10 years ago
The OP is in a warmer zone. By now, the weather there should be ready to plant outside.
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calbayarea
10 years ago
Hi. For me, lettuce is a labor of love. I place some seeds under tissue paper and as they germinate I place one or two seeds into two inch dirt blocks. I place 50 blocks into one of those cheap plastic black trays, solid bottom. As soon as I see them start coming up I place the tray outside in the sun during the day and then bring them in during the night and put them under the lights. The picture was taken today and the plants were started about 8 weeks ago. Lately around here though, I've just been leaving them outside 24/7 since the weather has been great.
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sunnibel7 Md 7
10 years ago
Ltilton, your post made me laugh (in a good way). In a normal year you would be right, but I'm still watching snow melt today and I'm in an even warmer zone! Please tell my weather that it should stop being so cold now, everything is late! Maybe it will listen to you since it sure hasn't been listening to me! :)
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User
10 years ago
You tell my weather, I'll tell yours.

What a winter this has been!
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User
10 years ago
calbayarea - those look great! That's how it should look.

So you keep them out/under light 24 hours?
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emorems0
Original Author
10 years ago
ltilton... yeah, today is the first day we've been above freezing in a week (last week we had one 'Spring' day with the rest of the week still holding onto winter). This is not a typical Spring so far and even if it were, I am in the same zone (6a) as wayne and the Farmer's Almanac lists March 21-April 4 as the starting indoors date for lettuce in my area.

Thanks for the advice all, I think I'm going to do the container outside in full sun and then transplant them into their partly shaded bed at transplant time (and then if winter rears its ugly head yet again, it will be easier to move them to shelter).

Think I should plant my broccoli and cauliflower out with the lettuce? Or start them inside with my warm plants like I had planned? Seems like temp fluctuations have a lot to do with poor head formation in brassicas, maybe I don't want to leave that up to mother nature considering how fickle she's been this Spring?
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Question about head lettuce

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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

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