Lettuce the lazy way

[roitelet]

Last year being short of time I sowed a row of lettuce and just let them grow. When the small plants were large enough to eat I thinned them leaving one plant at the correct spacing. The small leaves were eaten as baby leaves and the single plants were left to develop. Result, early baby leaves and a succession of lettuces. No waste of seed, there are always too many anyway and no root disturbance to the ones left to develop.

[veggiechicken]

I'm even lazier! Last year, I bought a box of "living salad" and planted the seedlings in the GH. Ate some, left some to flower and seed in situ. Now I'm doing the same as you, eating some and leaving the rest to fill out.

[Mr Bones]

Instead of cutting a whole head of lettuce we're harvesting just the outer leaves as they mature. Lobjoits are keeping us well supplied at the moment.

[rary]

VC are those all lettuces self seeded?

[veggiechicken]

Yes and there were a lot more on the other side. I left them to flower, then cut off the dead stalks and shook them over the beds. Some had already done their own shaking and were germinating so I knew they were rary-ing to go.

Here's some I potted up a few weeks ago for an outside salad garden. They'd don't look so good today after all the hailstones. Fortunately there are still 100s left in the GH.

[1Bee]

I thought that was how you were supposed to do it, roitelet!

[roitelet]

THey are supposed to be thinned before they get to edible size.

[1Bee]

Ah! Well, I tend to start thinning as I need leaves when they're small, too. If it's lazy, I'm in!

[rary]

Yes and there were a lot more on the other side. I left them to flower, then cut off the dead stalks and shook them over the beds. Some had already done their own shaking and were germinating so I knew they were rary-ing to go.

Here's some I potted up a few weeks ago for an outside salad garden. They'd don't look so good today after all the hailstones. Fortunately there are still 100s left in the GH.

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Really liked that so when out today I bought a pack of living salad leaves for a £1 at sa----bries and have planted some in the greenhouse and the rest will go outside under fleece, though we have sunshine and not hail it is still too cold for anything to be outside without protection, and before anyone starts to wonder if I am feeling ok, due to the fact that I am agreeing with VC, I think that using living salad leaves is a sensible idea and when I say I bought, I actually put them in with the shopping so OH paid for them

[veggiechicken]

I didn't know you knew those words, rary,................."bought", "agreeing" and "sensible".

[happyhumph]

Quick - rary obviously needs a doctor! I do a similar arrangement in my salad tier by the side door. I have a friend who has an entire gh devoted to rocket in the same fashion...

[Bren In Pots]

I'll have to try those 'living lettuce' next time I see them for sale.

[kitty12345]

I've seen videos abt putting lettuce scraps in water, apparently they root. I've done this with spring onions and celery and it works
Lazy this way just means minimum effort but just as or more productive

[veggiechicken]

I'll have to try those 'living lettuce' next time I see them for sale.

L1dl often have them (don't tell rary but they're chaper there). I've bought living Komatsuna there too. nk there's still some of that selfseeded in the GH.

[rary]

I didn't know you knew those words, rary,................."bought", "agreeing" and "sensible".

I came across those words while reading a book and felt the need to use them somewhere

L1dl often have them (don't tell rary but they're chaper there)

No they are not! OH paid for them so cost me nothing but had been in a Lidls and they didn't have any, plus the ones that I did let OH buy were a vary good quality