Salad leaves

Hello GC ers

Was at local garden center over weekend with some half price offers on and purchased a pack of gourmet salad leaves and hey I have no idea what to do with them (typical me likes a bargin and doesn't think )

There are 12 plants in total and in a tray at present. I have put them in my plastic green house which I also bought (yes bargin too of course) and wondered if they will be ok to grow in containers/pots? We are trying to sort garden out and have no soil area as such to put them in this year.
Do they need feeding? if so what sort? Looked at label and doesn't tell me anything or even which flavours they are

Any always gratefully received and appreciated

 

You don't need anything fancy to grow these, although with no soil area as such, you will need a bag of compost - any multi-purpose will do, even the really cheapie stuff.

If you've got a tiny bit of soil somewhere, just dig a hole a pop a couple or so in and keep them watered.

If you've literally nowhere then stick 'em in any old container that's got, or you can make, some drainage holes in the bottom: put one in a flower pot, use an old bucket, hanging basket (even if, this year, it sits on the ground!) you can easily get 3 (4 at a pinch) in a plastic plant trough (available from Homebase, Wilko, B&Q etc), I've even grown them in - what I call - a 'catering sized' coffee tin with a few holes punched in the bottom.

Whatever you use, just soak the plants, moisten the compost, push the plants out from the bottom of their tray, plant them and water them in. Keep them watered and although I never bother to feed mine, there's no reason why you shouldn't if you've a mind - any general purpose fertiliser would do. Not being sure what you've got, it's hard to give 'they should be this far apart' type suggestions, but I tend to put mine every 6" or so in a trough.

Just as a BTW - they don't have to be kept in a greenhouse. If you do want to put them/some outside, your's will probably need a bit of hardening off (depending on how long they've been in your greenhouse), but mine have to take their chances on my north facing patio where they get no sun at all, (but plenty of wind!) and they do perfectly well.

 

Just as a BTW - now that I can see your pic., the ones on each end (those with the reddish/green leaves) are probably Lolla Rossa and Salad Bowl - the green ones in the centre are just ..... 'leaves' to me, although I suspect they have a proper name!

If you want to pick baby leaves, plant them out at about 2" apart, if you want full-sized lettuce or larger cut-and-come-again leaves, anything up to about 10" apart. I'd still say a good average is 6" - 8".

 

Hello F'smum,
That is great advice and really appreciated, I haven't got any largish pots/troughs as wanted to get some advice b4 spending all sorts of money(which I don't have).
They are only in the green house(plastic 4 tier one, since sunday) till I get them planted out. I do have some soil area but it's not prepped for plants and hubby to be wants to sort patio area out so am looking to do pot gardening till that is done if you get me drift?

 

That was my thoughts too, got the middle one growing(had some for breakfast, a little bitter but nice enough) No idea what it is, came from the BBCs mixed salad seeds last year and survived the snow and ice with no protection

They all look good slug resistant ones

Just don't let them dry out in pots as root aphids will get them.

 

when can you start eating lettuce, baby leaves

 

any time u want. from seedlings to mature plants, I am tight so make my Lettuce last longer and fresher by picking outside leaves first in situ and harvesting the mature head last.

 

thanks, i kind of knew but wanted to be sure, i have loads. and think its time to pick some.

 

If you let them get too big, they'll be less tender, a bit bitter and if you've got the 'cut-and-come-again' type, (but don't keep picking), the plant will think 'OK, so you don't want my leaves, I won't bother producing any more.'