How to plant leaf lettuce seeds

1. Seed Collection

In June every year, its fruits will ripen. At this time, we can pick them, dry them slightly, and wait until the fruits crack, then we can take out the seeds inside. Also remember that when harvesting seeds, if you want to plant them that year, you can harvest them immediately. If you want to wait before planting, it is best to harvest them in spring and autumn.

2. Sowing time

In Changsha, you can plant it from early August to early October. If you want to sow in spring, the best time is early March. If you want to sow in summer, the best time is June.

3. Sowing

After harvesting the seeds, we can plant them. When planting, we can use direct sowing, or broadcasting to raise seedlings and then transplanting. Because its seed coat does not absorb water easily, it is best to soak it in water for 24 hours before planting. After all the seeds are planted, cover them with a layer of soil. If you are planting in summer, also cover them with a layer of sunshade net to prevent the light from being too strong. Then you can wait for it to sprout.

4. Later maintenance

If you plant the seeds by broadcasting, start thinning them out when the seedlings grow to 6 to 8 cm tall to increase their growing space. Then when the seedlings grow to 20 cm in height, you can start transplanting them. After that, you need to water them appropriately and let them enjoy the sunlight. Soon, the plant will grow 5 to 6 leaves, and then we can harvest the leaves for eating.

Also note that if you plant it early, you can harvest its leaves about three times before winter. In spring, you can peel the leaves every 10 days or so. When peeling, usually peel off 3 to 4 leaves each time, leaving 3 to 4 large leaves, and then apply fertilizer frequently so that it can grow faster.