Sowing Lettuce Seed

[rary]

How do you start your lettuce seed off, when sowing seeds do you put them into a propagator for some heat, or place them in a frost free area i.e.. a cold greenhouse, or a cool window sill, or do you sow them direct into a seed bed

[Thelma Sanders]

Sowed some today and they've gone out in the cold greenhouse.

The ones I sowed 3 weeks ago, when it was colder, stayed on the kitchen window ledge until they germinated and then went in the cold greenhouse, but they've gone a bit lanky - probably because even outside light levels have been low this year so far.

[Penellype]

I sow mine in pots of compost, under grow lights as apparently they like light to germinate. I'm not great with lettuce though, which may be because my house is too warm for some varieties or something. Most of my total germination failures have been lettuces (although the sweet peppers are trying hard to catch up this year).

[nickdub]

How do you start your lettuce seed off, when sowing seeds do you put them into a propagator for some heat, or place them in a frost free area i.e.. a cold greenhouse, or a cool window sill, or do you sow them direct into a seed bed

Depends on the weather.

if its May or June and hot you can sow where-ever - direct is easiest.

This time of year you would usually get away with an unheated greenhouse but given how cold it is I'd start them off in trays somewhere warm then put them out in the greenhouse when they start to show through. You doin't need a propagator for this, but if you have one spare you might as well use it.

[Martin H]

I normally sow them in a pot, then put the pot in a plastic bag in the fridge overnight, then into the cold greenhouse the next day. This seems to break the dormancy and give me really good germination.

[Bren In Pots]

This time of year I sow a sprinkle in a pot and leave it on a window sill, later on i'll sow another pinch and leave that in the GH. Finally when the frost is done with I sow in tubs and leave them on the ladder thats fastened to the shed, Slugs don't seem to like the ladder so my lettuce is usually safe there.

[Small pumpkin]

Pretty much the same as everyone else. I sow in trays or pots. In the polytunnel. Cut & come again stays in pots. Lettuce gets potted on until weather is right for it to go into the bed. lettuce Never sees the propogater.

[SarrissUK]

I keep all my lettuces in shallow trays in the sheltered alley outside my kitchen. It doesn't get too much light, but they all do great there. I'm sowing my first tray tomorrow

[carly]

I’ve sown a tray in an Unheated greenhouse yesterday.
Did the same last year and had an abundance of it ��

[SalfordWhite]

Depends on the time of year. The first sowing have been in the greenhouse for around a week. I tend to mix the varieties up then randomly sow. Germination has just started. By the time the are planted out the weather should have warmed sufficiently for future sowings to be direct.

[Derbydal]

iv'e 3 lots growing in gutteringin the green house and 1 with rocket ,iv'e got a heater in there but its only to keep the frost off ,iv'e got loads of stuff in there . atb Dal

[MarkPelican]

I sow mine as a scattering in a 7cm pot then when they've got their first leaves, I pot them up singly into 7cm pots then plant them out later. I've never been successful with sowing direct (my soil is heavy clay and either too cold or too dry for seeds to germinate). I sow some seeds every week throughout the year planting the resulting plants outside (if the weather's good enough) or in the greenhouse/polytunnel over the winter. That way I seem to get lettuces all year round.

[Jungle Jane]

If you’re planting tomatoes outside in the soil,instead of having weeds growing around them,sow a few lettuce seeds at the base of the plant,amongst the marigolds. It will be warm enough for germination if tomatoes are planted out & growing happily & it’s easier sowing direct once a month with no potting or thinning if you space the seed out a couple of inches apart. Sow seeds in any gaps in borders where weeds might try & grow