Growing lettuce under grow lights
I cant wait to start my tomato seed, so i decided to go ahead and start some lettuce inside under the lights, something to do and eat! Something to hold me off until I can start my tomatoes. Any one have any special tips for success?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ginny Balistreri on -
I have had great success with growing pepper tomatos and even difficult herbs such as rosemary under a light set up I have in the basement. I'm getting ready to start my bell pepper seeds today. I have never tried lettuce. We have a real rabbit problem in our yard, but maybe by starting them under lights and transplanting them as early as I can and use some blood meal in the soil..which is suppose to repel critters. I just may give it another shot.
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Permalink Reply by tony hopkins on -
lettuce is real good inside with the right lights transplanting them inside of hoophouses are great around march 1st
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Permalink Reply by Linda G. on -
We just get itchy to start something dont we? I usually start tomatoes and peppers under the lights in late February early March, I was actually hoping to eat the indoor lettuce, im afraid about he time I have some to eat it will be time to plant some seed outside anyway. I dont know, I would much rather start my Tomatoes and Peppers but I know it is just too early, so figured i could grow some lettuce and spinach.
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Permalink Reply by Nanette Breer on
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My sister and I used to sell herbs in the Merriam market and the KCMO marker, any how we started sowing our seeds indoors under lights in January. They all did exceptionally well. We even did lettuce and spinach and I ate some before selling the starters. Making me hungry! Good luck i'm sure it will work just fine.
Nan
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Permalink Reply by Linda G. on
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Good to know thanks, I was hoping i could get it going soon enough to eat it too. I was going to market in Springhill for a while, well until last years summer trip to the west coast, we were going to be gone too long to put in that much garden so I didnt do market last year, but it is so much fun to meet so many people interested in the same things. I did Tomatoes, peppers, cukes, squash, melons, Jelly and some bakery items as well as lavender pillows and sachets. I have been thinking about adding fruit/berrries and going this year but marketing.... you have to know, it is just tons of work and I'd rather keep my garden a leisure ( all though hard work no doubt) activity, so Im not sure if I will do this year or not.
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Permalink Reply by kctomato on -
Yes, keep the light close to the plants so they get as much as possible.
Also dont go too nuts with the nitrogen fertilizers. In lower light conditions nitrates will tend to be under utilized in the plants and the unused nitrogen accumulating in the plants is not healthy. It won't kill you. It's just not a good idea.
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Permalink Reply by Linda G. on
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I was hoping to get by (only) using some fish emulsion at most but i have never grown lettuce under lights, only tomato and peppers (from seed), just long enough before putting them outside. Im not crazy about fertilizer on lettuce anyway since it would seem to have a direct shot to the leaf, at least on tomatoes it has a vine to filter through first.( I only use fish emulsion and a little epsom salts) I dont know if that thought even remotely makes sense but......... seems logical enough.
Do you know the light requirements for lettuce once the seeds germinate?
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Permalink Reply by kctomato on
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specific light recommendations no (maybe in the books recommended below)
since you are growing foliage rather than fruit the light requirement isnt as much as a fruit
the more light the less the plants will etiolate (stretch for the light)
etiolating isnt really bad either. but most of the nutritional stuff should be better with more light.
My wife would KILL me if I used fish emulsion in the house!
I think Elliot Coleman addresses some of the light issues in greens in his books. I used to have access to them in grad school and always meant to get a copy but haven't. "The New Organic Grower" and "Winter Harvest Manual"
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Permalink Reply by Linda G. on
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Thanks! Oh I have grown to love the stinky stuff! It makes so many of my things look beautiful and its really not that bad. Once you have gotten used to cattle and hog manure sprayed all over the fields that surround your house and property, it smells pretty good in comparison. I hate the thought of synthetic fertilizer on my food. The fish emulsion might be stinky......I really dont think its thats bad, it grows on you if you use enough of it. I do remember a time that i thought it would kill me too but not any more. At least its natural! Thank you for the pointers
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Permalink Reply by Kathryn Major on -
I have an old 30 gallon aquarium that has been converted into an indoor seed-starting/lettuce growing environment. If you have any old unused aquariums, they make good starting places for seeds or small gardens. You can use empty pots to raise the level of the trays closer to the lights, and lower them gradually as your plants grow.
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Permalink Reply by Ginny Balistreri on
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What a great idea! The seedlings would also benefit from the humidity by being contained in a glass enclosure.
I have also used large clear plastic food containers with lids from the grocery store as mini greenhouses.
I punch holes in the lids to provide oxygen.
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