Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Beano on October 20, 2014, 14:43
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Can anyone tell me where I can find lettuce plants for sale this time of year? I wanted to grow some winter lettuce in the glasshouse and bought a packet os seeds and sowed them. They have come up but they're looking very weak and spindly. I saw that Monty on "gardeners world" was not bothering with seed as it was to late and he had bought plug plants. I have looked in the usual seed catalogues and they are delivering them next year. I want them now to grow overwinter. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.
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garden centre, probably, or buy living lettuce packs from a supermarket, out Lidl sells them ;)
ere your seeds for Winter sowing, or just ordinary Summer lettuce. The Winter mixes use different varieties.
seeds for sowing in October from T&M - you'll find similar from most suppliers
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/salad-seeds/salad-leaves-colourfully-mild-mix-kew-collection-seeds/4880TM
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/salad-seeds/lettuce-winter-gem-january-may/999TM
They do take a lot longer to grow at this time of year, but will usually make something worth eating :
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I've never had any success with Winter lettuce in the greenhouse ... not enough light, so to speak, I think.
Lambs Lettuce has done better, but it is very slow from seed (I sow in August) but if you can find plug plants that might be worth a try.
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Winter Density and AYR lettuce both do well for me in the greenhouse but I've sown mine already and they're coming along nicely. They don't actually grow much in the winter but get a nice early start come spring. TBH I think the best you can say about most overwintered veg is that they don't actually die!
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Thanks for the replies. The seeds were winter lettuce and they have germinated but a little weak looking. It's just that Monty (my guru) mentioned that it was to late in the year to sow them. I've had a look at seed companies for plug plants and its quite obvious that I'm late thinking of it because all the plug plants for delivery now are sold out. I like the idea of buying live plants from the supermarket and will try that, thankyou.
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I've sowed winter gem from unwins..excellent little plants...some in frames some outside..wait and see now. But they haven't stopped growing yet due to the warm weather..I agree that it's too late to sow now
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I like the idea of buying live plants from the supermarket and will try that, thankyou.
My local garden centre sells all sorts of vegetable plants that are totally inappropriate for the season ... if it was me I would only buy if it is labelled as a Winter variety of lettuce