Lettuce is one of the most popular salad ingredients.
Usually, you can sow lettuce seeds three times during the year - in September, in October, and in February or March.
When sowing seeds in September or October, lettuce seeds should be sown in frames.
Seeds that are sown in February or March can be sown outside.
 Sowing in September
If you will be sowing seeds in September, prepare the land by ridging it in August. The ridges that you make should be 2 feet 3 inches high and 5 feet wide. Then, you will be able to place the soil from the ridges into the frames.
The soil in the frames should slope toward the front, with a 4 inch space between the soil and the glass.
You can work hydrated lime into the soil as you prepare the frames.
Soak the soil if it is dry.
Once the soil has dried again, throw lettuce seeds over the top the soil.
You can then either rake in the seeds or cover them with a thin coat of soil.
Keep the frames closed until the seeds have germinated, and then gradually expose them to air.
Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, move them to other frames, so that they are 1 ½ inches in the rows, and 2 inches apart.
You may add potassium sulfate and steamed bone flour, which will encourage the roots to grow.
Lettuce seeds that are sown in September should be transplanted to their permanent spot in October or the beginning of November.
Before transplanting, you can add a mixture of hoof and horn, steamed bone flour and potassium sulfate to the soil, for use as fertilizer.
You can plant the lettuce 9 inches apart in 12 inch rows.
Sowing in October
If you are sowing seeds in October, ridge the land before sowing.
You may add potassium sulfate and bone meal to the soil.
Cover the seeds with sifted soil after you sow them.
Keep the frames closed until the seeds begin to germinate.
Thin the plants until they are two inches apart, and keep them covered with straw mats at night, to protect them from harsh weather.
Plant out the seedling the end of January or the beginning of February.
To prepare the soil for transplanting, plow the soil in November, leave it to settle, and then harrow it as needed.
You can fertilize the soil with potassium sulfate, steamed bone flour and hoof and horn.
Sowing in February or March
Seeds that are sown in February or March should not be sown in frames; they should be sown directly in the field.
Before you sow, prepare the soil by plowing and harrowing it.
Sow the seeds in holes that are 1 foot apart.
When the soil is hoed for the first time, the seedlings should be thinned out so that they are from 9 inches to one foot apart.
|