in need of some advice

[sindy]

Attached is a photo of my lettuces, i planted a few days ago, as you know im a newbie, very newbie, this is going to sound very silly and make you all burst with laughter, but do i need to thin these out, or what do i do next

[shirlthegirl43]

No laughter here!!

I think it is up to you about thinning, depending on if you want them as baby salad leaves (cut them when they are big enough and leave them to grow back) or if you want them to grow into proper lettuces.

Have fun with them - I have not yet managed to grow lettuce despite trying a good few times over the whole 2 years I have been gardening!

[Hazel at the Hill]

As someone who has accidently got about 500 lettuces all grown up and ready for eating NOW, I would say to thin them out a bit, Sindy, or you'll end up with as many as I have.....

Not sure when the best time is, tho'

[rustylady]

I've had such a bad time with seedlings being eaten on the lottie, I've now started sowing just about everything in pots, seed trays or cell trays. This makes it easier to space the plants out too. I would thin your lettuces if I were you, about 4 inches apart will do if you intend to eat them young and tender, 6 - 9 inches if you intend to leave them to mature. You can eat the thinnings as baby leaves.

[JennieAtkinson]

Well done Sindy - you've got a great germination there! Mine tend to get eaten by the slugs before they get to this stage. So I tend to grow in modules and then plant out when they are a little bigger.

Keep asking the questions! we all still have to .........

[Sue]

Hi
After dismal failure with lettuce last year, not helped by the heat, I've gone into salad leaves which are a lot easier.
I was given an old water tank by my allotment neighbours, its about 4ft x 2ft and I filled it with compost and sowed lollo rosso lettuce as salad leaves. I then covered it with fleece, kept on with elastic. (looks very pretty!)
The result has so far been 41 small lettuce heads, I found the lollo rosso grew on a long stem and made ideal small heads, just right for a salad, still got about 6 to go. Being in the tank and always covered, I've had very few slugs getting in too, another problem last year.
I'm def going to do this again and really like the flavour of the red and green lollo rosso. Don't think I'll bother with individual sowings of lettuce anymore except for Valdor for overwintering, love those early lettuces.
best wishes
Sue

[sindy]

thanks everyone, great advice, I slept on it last night and as im so newbie and know not much i will let them get alittle bigger and then thin them out, will the slugs have a go at them, do i need to put some netting over them, and do i need to feed them and with what plse

[Hazel at the Hill]

I wouldn't bother with netting, Sindy - unless you have cat/dog/fox who may dig them up, and they've made it this far. I've found that pigeons don't seem to go for lettuces, or the butterflies (which is normally why you would net).

Slugs is a different kettle of fish, tho' - although we have been extremely fortunate at the Hill and don't have a big slug problem, plenty of the other grapes do - and slugs luuuuuuurve lettuce...If you do have a problem with slugs, there are lots of ways to deal with them without resorting to slug pellets. Bear in mind that the 'normal' slug pellets are also poisonous to all sorts of other things as well as slugs.

Feeding lettuce? I haven't particularly bothered - though thinking about it, I did give the bed a couple of handfuls of chicken pellets the other day.

Hope that helps!

[sindy]

well its slug city on the farm, and my lettuces are in big half cider barrells but im sure the little darlings will climb up the sides, so should i feed my lettuces on chicken pellets, i have to say im reading lots and have every book out in the library relating to veg and im always on here trying to learn, but to be honest i get confused with so much info, i guess i have to find what suits me and me plants best.
So what can i use to keep my slugs away, we do have the capital of the slug mafia here, its there head quarters

[Hazel at the Hill]

Anti slug measures for containers:

Tip 1: stand half barrells in a big tray of water - forms a moat so the slugs can't get in. (not massively practical to lift a full half barrell though!)

Tip 2: Put a copper strip around the top of each half barrell - slugs won't 'cross the line'

Tip 3: Ditto, but with a line of vasaline, or wd40.