Kitchen Garden Forum

I dont normally plant out lettuce for another month at least but have a serious space issue in the greenhouse in that there isnt any.

Anyway I like a fool (Yes I know) sowed some webbs and salad bowl varieties that will need either composting or planting out within the next week or so.

if they go out will they stand a frost or just become a mulch. I can cover with fleece as I have a 100m roll in the plot shed.

Hi Piglet,

You'd be surprised how hardy lettuces are. They may need protecting from the wind, rocking them around and seriously dehydrating them, rather than frost.

I sowed mixed salad leaves (as per this month's free packet on KG, but these were left over seeds from last year!) and All Year Round back in January. I have an indoor heated propogator but as soon as they were showing their heads they went out into the plastic greenhouse with no heat and a fairbit of ventilation where the plastic is starting to deteriate. Since then we have had no end of frosts and my minimum temperatures in the Greenhouse was -6 degrees C. The lettuce have all survived and are ready to plant out, interestingly, Durham Early cabbages were effected by the frost and only 50% survived, early beetroots and brusels also died, so I have repeated the sowings of these.

Like you I will be planting these out in the next few days, but may cover them with a cloche to keep them a bit protected and clean.

I tend to take a gamble with getting seeds in transplant off to an early start...if it works, I have gained, if it does not then I've only lost a few pence worth of seeds....although it does feel like lossing your children that you have nurtured through various stages of life...Ok I've flipped now..must go to bed.

I don't know what the official line is but I still have some lettuce under a plastic cloche on my plot that have been there all winter. They're look fine although I've not eaten one recently. The chickens like them well enough.

Thanks lads, out they blooming well go then.

My first two sowings are out and fleeced if it's predicted to be exceptionally cold. One's an Italian mixture, the other's just a mixture - que?

Cos lettuce are best at withstanding cold conditions. That is obviously lobjoit's Cos and Little Gem, there is a new-ish one called Counter which is between them in size. I have now taken that as my standard variety although I still grow others. Marvel of 4 Seasons is a survivor, quite popular for sales but not top epicurean taste.
Allan

My Little Gem have been outside under cut off demi-john bottles for about a month. They havn't grown a lot, but they look healthy enough. They're just starting to move a bit now, with the warmer days.

I sowed a couple of types in a cold frame back in Novenber, Winter Density and a cut and come again mix.

We have been picking leaves of both for over a month now.

But I will transplant some of the winter density outside this weekend to let them bulk up.

I also sow trays of mixed salad leaves in the greenhouse with a bit of heat, these give us enough for a couple of meals per tray.

Jerry

I also have some Little Gem lettuce that I planted out in October last year under plastic bottle cloches, they have survived the winter and have put new growth out in the past couple of weeks. The cut and come again salad mix is growing strongly in the cold greenhouse, started that off about 3 weeks ago.

My lottie neighbour has some on the go outside all year round.

For protectin he has what amounts to an unfilled plank raised bed and then lies an old secondary double-glazing pane across the top, with a bit of wood at one end for ventilation.