Help with Lettuce

[girl47]

New to veg growing - this year.
Planted some lettuce seeds ages ago in a small plot in the garden. Hardly any germinated - so planted some more - so far - in total only 3 look like they have 'taken'. 2 of which growing nicely, although still very small ( thought lettuce was quick)?
Had tons of rain yesterday ( Oxfordshire) and this morning the 'head' of the main one ( of just 2 plants) has disappeared!
Whats happening & what an I doing wrong????? have not seen any slugs.

[Two_Sheds]

Slugs will be grazing them off as they appear. You'll not always see the slugs (being mostly nocturnal)

[girl47]

Thanks
Rightly, or wrongly, I HAD used pellets 'just in case' - Is there a sure fire way of growing lettuce successfully - it would be nice to have a salad sometime in June.

[gojiberry]

Definitely slugs or snails. They can even eat them below ground before you see them.

Ian

[shirlthegirl43]

I have lost so many lettuce seedlings this year that I gave in and bought plug plants - these were planted out and we have now enjoyed 2 of the finished crop. I used Nemaslug this year for the first time and to be honest the lettuce I picked this morning had 3 small slugs on it!

[lzyjo]

I have never been able to get lettuce seeds to sprout in the garden. I had the best success winter sowing. From now on I will only start lettuce seeds in containers outside.

[Sanjo]

Hello girl47, I'm like Izyjo and usually start them off indoors, though this year I also started some under a makeshift cloche in March (just a sheet of clear corrugated plastic with a couple of plastic end panels.) The lettuce (little Gems) were brilliant, (a few beetroot took and the radishes just disappeared!!) and I have been eating them since beginning of May even though it was mainly the thinnings at that time. The rest of the thinnings I replanted. I am still eating these lettuces as I am gradually thinning the row by eating alternate ones. They have hearted up quite well. and yes, I do use slug pellets. I get them from Wyevales, they are organic and the slugs bury themselves once they feel ill so birds don't get them. I do still get the odd slug though but mainly tiny ones. The lettuces started indoors were mainly the salad bowl variety and they were good too. So, in short, if you start them off inside you stand more of a chance of actually harvesting something for yourselves!! Good luck, still time to start some off in a tray and then plant them out. I have sown some direct in my veg patch but if they don't germinate I can then use the few I have started in my tray. I feel it's like a bit of successional sowing. Good luck. Sanjo

[gemlady]

Hi girl47. I have started my cos lettuce off in greenhouse and then planted out into troughs, and other than 1 attack by a snail which was quickly despatched they are ok. The mixed salad and spicy leaves I have grown outside in tubs ok so far. This year most of my stuff hasn't suffered until the last week or so with slugs, but as we've been having quite a bit of rain lately they've started coming out and chomping at beetroot leaves and radishes. So hoping for a nice long dry sunny period.

[girl47]

Thanks everyone - think I will try starting in trays first.

[Two_Sheds]

Remember that lettuce likes it cool ... don't grow it in a greenhouse.

[growingmyown]

Can anyone help,

I have planted a variety of crisphead lettuce called Webbs Wonderful. I started them off in a big pot and when they had one leaf on each shoot I moved them to various long trough containers (about 3 in each). They have taken well to the new pots but the shoots are only about an inch tall and each plant has about 3 leaves which is now causing the shoot to just fall over and rest on the soil. It's as if it cant support its own weight. I wondered if it would just rectify itself as the stem gets stronger or if there's anything I can do. I tried putting in a home made support but the stems are so fragile it was virtually impossible to not damage them. Please, please help, I don't want them to die

[Jeanied]

They do make poor little weak things when they are first transplanted, growingmyown - draw a little compost up round the stem a bit to support it and don't worry - the stem /root ends up thickening up to support the head as it develops.

[growingmyown]

Thank you so much, they don't appear to be wilting or anything so I'll do as you said and keep my fingers crossed!

[Two_Sheds]

when they had one leaf on each shoot I moved them to various long trough containers

I think you just transplanted them too early: I wait until the roots have almost filled their pot before potting them on.