Baby Leaf Lettuce Growing

Hi Gardeners,
For the first time I have bought a tray of baby lettuce leaves from Nottcutts.
I planted them in a trough and up to now have kept them in the greenhouse. However its getting a bit warm in there.

What is the best aspect for lettuces: sun, partial shade, shade?

Do they need feeding?

Do you have to harvest the leaves regularly?

Grateful for any help.

Letty

 

Lettuce do best in a cool place - too much heat and they will go pale, floppy and run to seed. Ours do much better outside than in the greenhouse now the suns hotter (they germinate better outside as well). Somewhere out of direct sun is best (but not cold/damp).
Harvest the leaves on a regular basis to keep new growth coming through (but don't take more than half of the leaves of any one plant). I would feed every 10 days if they are in a small/shallow pot/tray but less often in a deeper trough.

 

To Ancient Gardener from another ancient gardener who normally only grows flowers.
Thanks for the help - just what I needed

Dont know if you can help on this one - my daughter has just prepared a plot for her children (age 6 and 4) to plant vegetables (in the hope they will eat them!!)

Are there any which she can plant now to harvest later?? Is it too late for outdoor tomatoes?

I suggested she see what type of veggie plantlings are being sold at the moment in Garden Centres - but don't know what these may be or whether they would be easy to grow on outside.

 

Its not too late for broad beans, peas to be sown direct outside and they are nice, big seeds to handle for kids. Runner and dwarf beans could be started on a windowsill in pots as well, they need a bit more warmth than braod beans and peas to get them going - plant them out a few days after they have popped up.

Outdoor toms are only viable if its a sheltered spot - don't know where you are inthe country?
Lettuce can be sown almost all year but the seeds are very small so might need an adult to help out.
If you can get hold of courgette/squash/pumpkin plants, these grow really fast now - might need protection if its a windy spot (like a fleece windbreak).

There are some online veg seedling sites who have plants too, just watch out that you don't get tender things like Aubergines, Peppers that rarely do well outside.

 

"my daughter has just prepared a plot for her children (age 6 and 4) to plant vegetables (in the hope they will eat them!!)

Are there any which she can plant now to harvest later??"

Definitely see what plants your Garden Centre has - that will give you an edge on things that should have been sown by now.

I agree with the courgette/squash/pumpkin suggestion; they will sprawl all over the place which my Kids certainly thought was Cool! when they were younger. Kids love Gourds too - ugly as sin! - although you can't eat them they will last through the winter in a basket or somesuch (check periodically and chuck out any going rotten). For next year you might consider Vegetable Spaghetti in that group (I doubt you will find any plants anywhere, so from seed next year is the only option I expect). The fruit is a bit of a marvellous-mouthful-of-nothing (I'm sure its fans will violently disagree!) but the cooking and serving to get the "spaghetti" out of the Squash-like fruit is all good fun.

I would focus on things that grow quickly - i.e. it is visible to see them making new growth and so on.

I think Tomatoes outside, starting a bit late, may not make much ripe fruit ... which might be a disappointment to the kids - unless making Chutney is part of the game-plan! Garden Centre may well have plants already baring fruit - but they are probably Greenhouse varieties

Carrots in containers might be fun - they could come "in" as we get into the Autumn if its getting a bit late - i.e. they haven't matured by then.

Next year you might consider Sunflowers. Suttons (I think) do a nice little package with two pots of seeds and a tape measure. Annual tournaments with grandparents or somesuch! Secret fertilizer recipes and watering schedules ... all good fun!

 

I would say fruit is not to be missed for kids. My 6 yr old is given the opportunity of having her own fruit garden-which is really just the hedging I use round my little veg plot. She has strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries and we very rarely get the chance to eat them because she picks as she plays and scoffs the lot.


I can't really advise about veg as this is my first yr of growing my own. I have grown fruit for years though and it is extremely satisfying.

I think you have made a great suggestion to your daughter, they may even eat them when they are at their most nutritious-kids pick and eat as they play.

 

We have some of those - see link to Seedlings in signature below. Apologies for plug. And just to be fair so do these: http://www.vegetableplantsdirect.co.uk/

 

Thanks to all above who gave such useful information. I will copy all and email to my daughter poste haste.