How to Grow, Harvest & Save Lettuce Seeds

COPYRIGHT © 2011 Cherie Kuranko ~ "InkSpot"

All Rights Reserved.

There are six types of garden lettuce and all belong to the botanical classification of Lactuca sativa. Wild lettuce falls under Lactuca serriola and it can cross with garden lettuce, but to what extent is a matter of ongoing debate.

The six types of garden lettuce are:

• Crisphead or more commonly referred to as Head Lettuce: Crisphead lettuce types are formed by the folding of the leaves to form a tight, compact head or ball. They are greenish-white in color and quite crispy in texture.
• Butterhead Lettuce: Butterheads are also round, but have smaller heads and soft leaves that form a loose head.
• Romaine or Cos Lettuce: Romaine lettuce forms a longer, rather oval-shaped head. Dark green in color.
• Leaf Lettuce: Leaf lettuce does not form a head, instead it creates a rosette of leaves. There are many different varieties of leaf lettuce. They may be red or green, depending which variety you choose.
• Asparagus/Stem/Celtuce Lettuce: This type of lettuce is thick stemmed, but has tender leaves. It is very juicy.
• Latin Lettuce: Grown in South America and the Mediterranean. Loose heads with elongated leaves.

First, choose a lettuce you will enjoy eating. If you will be growing more than one variety of lettuce you must remember to isolate the different lettuce varities by at least 25 feet to avoid cross-pollination. When choosing lettuce for seed saving only buy open-pollinated (OP) or heirloom varieties. Growing OP varieties of vegetables is probably one of the single most important thing to remember if you plan to harvest seed from your plants. Hybrid (F1) seed will not work. Hybrids cannot produce an identical plant from seed if saved and replanted because hybrids are already a combination of one or more varieties that have been crossed. Genetically modified seeds (GMO) should be avoided as well due to patents and other issues. To learn more about GMO seeds and why seed saving is important read: Start Your Own Seed Bank: Our Ancestors Realized the Importance of Seed Saving.

So, now that you have chosen an open-pollinated or heirloom lettuce seed it's time to get it planted in the garden. You will want to plant lettuce seed when the temperature outdoors is 40 - 60 degrees Farenheit. A harder freeze can harm your lettuce, but it can usually survive light frosts. Lettuce grows best when grown in cooler temperatures and requires plentiful water. You may also start your lettuce indoors and plant in the garden when the temperature is right.

Plant the seeds as per the instructions on the package. Generally lettuce seed is planted 3/8" to 1/2" deep and covered with fine soil. Leaf lettuce varieties do fine direct sown outdoors, while head lettuces often do better if started indoors and transplanted later.

Water consistently. Lettuce plants require plenty of water, but of course you don't want to drown them either. Keep the soil fairly moist and it will do well.

When saving lettuce seed you should grow a minimum of 10 plants--15 is even better, which allows for the removal of unhealthy plants if necessary. Not to mention a few for eating.  Having this amount of plants allows for a greater genetic diversity when you save its seed and ensures a stronger, healthier supply of lettuce seed. You may grow more, just don't grow less. When it comes time to harvest your lettuce seed be sure to save some from each plant.

As the lettuce grows, watch the plants. If you find a plant that looks different or has characteristics you don't care for--pull it up. Pulling plants that are not true-to-type in order to purify the variety is called roguing. And roguing should be done to avoid the characteristics you don't want in the seed you save for future crops.

Lettuce will eventually bolt, which means it will begin growing a thick, long stalk that will form flowers. This often occurs in summer and very high temperatures can cause earlier than normal bolting. With head lettuce, you can split the head half way down to allow the stalk room to grow through.

Lettuce is an annual. It will complete its life cycle every year--or in other words, it will go to seed every year. It is an inbreeding plant, which means it has perfect flowers. It does not require insects or wind to transfer pollen from one flower to the other, though this can occur. With inbreeding plants fertilization usually takes place within each individual flower. A perfect flower has all the parts necessary to complete breeding itself without the help of wind or insects. Lettuce has those perfect flowers.

Lettuce flowers will form at the top of the stalks in heads of 10-25 individual florets. All of the tiny florets have one seed and will open on the same day. Most flower in the morning. The flowers don't remain open for very long--anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. After the flowers close the fertilization is done and the flowers will not open again. Because of the way lettuce self-pollinates it is uncommon for it to cross with other varieties, but not impossible. Just be sure to either grow one variety of lettuce or if growing more than one variety keep a distance of at least 25 feet between the different varieties.

After the flowers have bloomed and closed the lettuce seeds begin to ripen. They are usually ready to harvest about 12-24 days after the lettuce has flowered. So, mark the flowering date on the calendar. Start harvesting around the twelth day and continue checking and harvesting until all seeds have been harvested.

Harvesting the lettuce seed is very simple. Using a brown grocery bag, gently bend the stalk over (careful not to shake the seed loose onto the ground) until the flower heads are inside the bag. Then hold the bag around the stalk and shake it. The ripe lettuce seeds will fall into your bag. Continue doing this with all the lettuce plants. Only put one variety of lettuce in each bag and mark the variety name on the bag using a marking pen. Store the bag indoors in a cool, dry, dark space in between harvests.

The best way to separate the tiny lettuce seeds from the chafe and fine lettuce feathers is to use small screens. Get out as much chafe as possible without losing your seed. Learn more about how to store your lettuce seed and how long your lettuce seed will be viable by reading the articles below.

Seed Saving: Best Method for Storing Vegetable Seeds

Seed Saving: How Long will my Seed Last? A Seed Life Guide (Printable Guide)

OTHER GARDENING & SEED SAVING ARTICLES

How to Save Pumpkin Seeds: Squash, Gourds & More

How to Grow, Harvest & Save Onion Seed

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes & Slips or Starts

Propagation of Herbs: How to Start Herbs with Cuttings

Make a Manure Hotbed for Early Vegetable Gardening

Wintering Carrots: They get Sweeter with Time

COPYRIGHT © 2011 Cherie Kuranko ~ "InkSpot"

All Rights Reserved.