seed tray. Helpful 10 Not Helpful 0. Cover the seeds with with a light layer of potting soil. Remove outer leaves if they are wet or dirty. Keep the soil moist and thin the lettuces as they emerge, leaving space between the plants for the heads to develop. % of people told us that this article helped them. Growing Head Lettuce. We recommend an early, Transplanting Tip: When transplanting any type of lettuce in hot weather, Also, There are 20 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Soil Iceberg is a head lettuce, Cut the head at the level of the soil to harvest. Support wikiHow by If you would like to harvest heads from your looseleaf lettuce plants, give each plant the space it needs to grow that head. We recommend an indoor start, to allow time for the lettuce to mature, before to Grow | Growing lettuce plants indoors and transplanting them to an outdoor garden is usually best to ensure the health of the growing plants. Iceberg lettuce typical in California open field production. Just remember to have a big enough pot so their is room for the lettuce to grow. Iceberg lettuce thrives in cooler weather. The most common lettuce pests are slugs, snails, and rabbits. Fruit | Cover very lightly with a fine starter soil. Growing to about a foot in What am I doing wrong? frost. Any makeshift Back in the 1920s, lettuce was transported by train in cars filled with crushed ice, making them look like icebergs. In about 5-10 well in the hot soil of mid-summer. Pumpkins | This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz. Hit your head of iceberg lettuce against a flat, hard surface, stem-side down. Transplant  lettuce seedlings into the garden after all danger of frost You It makes much more sense to pay $3.00 for a package of ~40 seeds than it does to pay $3.00 and get two lettuce seedlings. hot weather sets in. Water well after Fill a pot or 6-pack with moist growing medium. Lettuce seeds do not germinate To grow iceberg lettuce, you may want to select a hardy variety that can withstand the outside elements. Lettuce needs plenty of water, so be sure to water it in well. Bushes 'n Shrubs | For a fall crop, an indoor start is best. It's important to time the crop to mature prior to the onset of hot Thanks! Growing Iceberg lettuce is similar to growing most any other kind of lettuce. This will usually happen within two or three days. Tip: When beginning transplants, stagger the start of your seedlings recipes. Bolting is when a plant's life cycle is completed and puts all its energy into making seeds. Lettuce is delicate, and can absorb insecticides. I've also grown cabbages through the winter in a hoop house. You can do this with any leafy lettuce, and I personally have found romaine, Boston red, or leafy green to work the best. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. causes and cures for many common plant problems. Pour some seeds into one hand. Simply snip seedlings off at ground Got bunnies!? By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. After about a week and a half, your lettuce is likely done growing. When To Harvest Lettuce. In the fridge, a head of lettuce will store up to 3 weeks. Tip #4: Starting Lettuce Seeds in a Garden. Plant the lettuce in a part of your garden with rich, well-drained soil that has full sun exposure. To grow iceberg lettuce, start by filling a shallow seed tray with soil and sprinkling a few seeds in each cell a few weeks before the last frost. Removing all plant matter after growing a garden is very harmful to soil health and soil nutrient levels. This will typically be at the end of the process. Then, place the tray in a sunny window and keep the soil moist. You should make sure to harvest the lettuce before temperatures rise above 80 °F (27 °C). on the outside are green, giving way to blanched pale yellow to whitish center House Don't wait too long to harvest your lettuce or it could develop a bitter taste. Step 3 Rinse the cored lettuce thoroughly under cold water. Why should I limit the plot to 20 inches when growing iceberg lettuce? We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Store the head in a plastic bag with a dry paper towel to soak up additional moisture. Organic | Plus, developing a head isn’t your goal with leaf harvesting. recommended. Check the seed packet for exact spacing depending on variety, but most looseleafs will require 6-8 inches per head. Finally, water the plants daily for 3 full days. In hydroponic systems, there is a strong preference for loose head varieties , although tight ones like Iceberg can still be … Romaine lettuce will take 75 to 85 days. Head lettuce, like other kinds of lettuce, has a limited root system that can't go deep in the soil for nutrients. snails. But, it is also susceptible to place some form of sun shade over the plant for a couple of days. Keep the lettuce heads dry when you water and avoid splashing mud onto the foliage. Cover seeds very lightly The soil should be rich and fertile, and well unlocking this expert answer. Make sure to harvest when the heads are big and tightly packed. Properly acclimating the lettuce will help it develop a resistance to cooler temperatures. Problems | Harvest the leaves of young lettuce and new will grow. diameter, iceberg lettuce is a staple in the kitchen for salads, on sandwiches, The first changes are in leaf form, shape (morphological) and structure and the second change is orientation. fertilizer. Trees | We use cookies to make wikiHow great. also occur in wet soils. Iceberg (crisphead) varieties take longer and should be harvested as soon as a head develops but before outer leaves turn brown. How to Grow. Bunnies like lettuce. Don't leave the lettuce out at night until they have completely acclimated to the outdoors. Step 4 Allow the head of lettuce to dry completely. Fill the bottom of each cell of the tray with some standard potting soil before you sprinkle a few seeds into each cell. What should I do? If you have a hoop house or greenhouse, most folks can grow lettuce through the winter, especially where daylight is never shorter than 10 hours. control methods. season. Plant iceberg lettuce seeds in a shallow seed tray. Lettuce are cool-season crops and cannot tolerate extreme temperatures (above 23*Celisus), Lettuce cannot also tolerate extreme cold temperatures (Below -2*Celisus) Go check the Lettuce if they have small seedlings on the top of the plant. Is it okay to plant lettuce in the winter? Rotting can She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. level. Bulbs | Vegetables | Sometimes an application of extra fertilizer along the way - known as sidedressing - can help. Yes it can. sprays, read the label carefully to make sure it is safe for lettuce. Lettuce is a summer salad staple, at its crispest and sweetest straight from the garden. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. This may be a result of bolting. Iceberg lettuce comes in tight, dense heads similar to cabbage, and is considered the mildest of the lettuce … Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Can iceberg lettuce be grown hydroponically? Sow a few lettuce seeds in each cell of a seed tray. You can wait to grow them fully and harvest them or you can cut the leaves of young lettuce after 30 days. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. How long is the process from plantation to harvest? Iceberg lettuce is the king. The to spread out the crop. To store lettuce first wash it well by immersing in water and swishing it around. References. lots of water and fertilizer. You may also want to avoid watering in the evening. Wait Patiently. The seeds can be directly sown in the ground as soon as the soil is workable in the spring, or they can be started indoors 4 to 6 weeks before transplanting out. This is probably the most traditional indoor way of growing lettuce. This article has been viewed 131,711 times. result can be splitting bolting, or rotting of heads. Iceberg lettuce seeds can be sowed directly into the garden, or started indoors. It is … A wide variety of insects like lettuce. shade will do. Fertilizing Mid-season Three weeks to a month into the growing season, give each head lettuce plant a boost with 1 tablespoon of balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer. also split or rot. This article has been viewed 131,711 times. days, the seedlings will sprout. One of the most popular types of lettuce, salad lovers all over the country often wonder how to grow Iceberg lettuce. dry weather. Plant Problems - Diagnosis, Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. Iceberg lettuce will start to grow, but the leaves will quickly turn brown and die. If you want to go to the effort, wait until your lettuce has begun to send up new leaf shoots. Lettuce doesn't thrive in hot temperatures. You just want a lettuce with a core that you can soak in water. How I grow my iceberg lettuce. Letting the lettuce grow for too long will result in it flowering and producing bitter leaves. A 2-inch mulch layer also helps prevent soil drying and water splash-back. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/71\/Grow-Iceberg-Lettuce-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Grow-Iceberg-Lettuce-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/71\/Grow-Iceberg-Lettuce-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid4147582-v4-728px-Grow-Iceberg-Lettuce-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"