Lettuce!

[marninator80]

Advice please...I've sown lettuce 'all sorts' and am having no luck at all! I've sown 3 seeds per module, lightly covered with compost and left inside my polytunnel making sure they are always moist. But nothing seems to be happening. This is the second year I've tried lettuce and have had no luck!
Is it too warm in the polytunnel for them? Any advice much appreciated as the over half loves his salad and really want to grow fresh for him!!!

[Containergardener]

Try them outside instead, they prefer cooler conditions , mine sit in shade on decking (on staging)

[Penellype]

Lettuce need some light to germinate apparently so don't plant them too deeply. They are also best not planted in very warm conditions.

[skeggijon]

I tend to scatter the seeds then just put a light dusting of compost over the top. As has already been said, they are better in cooler conditions.

[Scarlet]

Have you got slugs? They will eat them before you see them I start mine off on my porch windowsill. I also find old seed sometime doesn't want to germinate.

[marninator80]

No not slugs, the tray is up on staging and nothing else in polytunnel has been touched...thankfully! Although the slugs have had my carrot seedlings �� There one day gone the next lol

[SusieG]

Curious marninator80, I have grown (so far) all lettuces in pots/tubs in GH. No problems as yet ...
Just wondering is there enough light in the PT? (Not ever being inside a PT don't know if this is relevant!)

[muddled]

Is it Martin or Bill that refrigerates his lettuce?

One of them anyway, I forget which, sows lettuce seeds then puts them them in the fridge for a night or two before putting them outside.
I tried it this spring and guess what?

100% Germination!

I really love this forum!
Thank you Martin or Bill x

[Martin H]

I think I was the last to suggest it, but I got it from someone else on here. It's been infallible for me, whereas I've always struggled to germinate lettuce in the summer.

(Sow the lettuce, put it in the fridge overnight, bring it out next day to germinate).

[Potstubsdustbins]

Strange this thread should come up, for the first time ever I am experiencing very poor germination of my lettuce. So far out of 3 sowings of 12 modules each time I have 2 plants.

[rary]

Try sprinkling some seed into three 3in. pots lightly cover with fine compost or vermiculite, put one pot as Martin suggests into the fridge, one into the poly tunnel and one outside, that way you can find out the best way for you to go, when I sow my lettuce I use moist compost and once sown I cover with a dusting of compost, just enough to cover the seed, I sit the pot into a container of water and allow the compost to soak till the top looks damp, I have never had any problems with this

[Penellype]

I'm having serious issues with a packet of Emerald Oak that I got from real Seeds. I've tried 4 times so far, the latest in a saladgrow planter alongside 3 other varieties (all of which have germinated) and not 1 plant has appeared. The seed is new. I will try the fridge experiment.

[marninator80]

Thanks everyone I will have to give these experiments a go!!

[Snoop Puss]

Is it Martin or Bill that refrigerates his lettuce?

One of them anyway, I forget which, sows lettuce seeds then puts them them in the fridge for a night or two before putting them outside.
I tried it this spring and guess what?

100% Germination!

I really love this forum!
Thank you Martin or Bill x

I too am having trouble getting lettuce to germinate. Of the latest twelve modules sown, six have germinated. This is a better rate than previous attempts this spring. And I never even bother at the height of summer but buy in plug plants. So I'm going to try the fridge method.

But how many nights work best for those of you who do this? Just the one? Two?

[muddled]

Martin says one night (I did two cos I forgot it was in there )