Mastering Lettuce: Tips and Tricks for Growing, Sowing, and Protecting Your Crop

Lettuce plants can produce for months when harvested by hand (no knife!) and kept tidy (fewer slugs!), I show you the method here. You also see the results of an experiment with different composts for sowing, how to plant and the use of covers to protect from weather and pests. Plus the beds are no dig for few weeds and high quality growth.
Varieties at the end are Saragossa and Bijou.

00:00 Introduction
01:01 Mix of compost, an experiment
08:25 Pricking out a week later
13:11 Planting out
22:31 Fleece and watering
23:39 Harvesting

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MORE FROM CHARLES

#nodig #lettuce #lettucegrow #healthyfood #growyourownveggies

[heathermacdonald]

Having your videos to watch is like having a friend who has tons of experience taking me through his garden. Thanks, so much!

[ahandmadehomestead]

I thought you might like to know that my 5 year old daughter was watching with me today and watched the whole thing. 3/4 of the way through she says “this is interesting”. ❤️

[woucks]

I can't believe videos like this are free! THANK YOU!

[winjoda]

Charles - I don’t know how many of these comments you read, but you are an inspiration. I’ve learned so much from you and am genuinely thankful for all that you’re sharing with us. I could only dream to have a garden like yours but mine (even at only 3 seasons old now) is already so much better because of what I’ve learned from you.

Thank you !

[dewality]

Vermiculite is expensive but so worth it. I mix it in with all my plants I wouldn’t do without it. I’ve been a keen viewer for around a year and I must tell you my grandparents were avid gardeners, I think that’s why I’m such a greenfinger myself. They have sadly passed away but watching you reminds me of them and it gives me such a lovely, warm, nostalgic feeling. Normally girls my age aren’t interested in flowers or gardening but I’m getting more manic as the years go on lol. This year I’m growing 4 different varieties of lettuce, 6 varieties of peas, beetroot, carrot, tomatoes, basil, mint, strawberries and an array of different flowers. There’s nothing better than being out in the garden with soil ridden hands and an eagerness to grow lots of amazing produce. You truly are one in a million. Thank you!

[mcx]

How anyone can dislike this video is beyond me. The knowledge and expertise you share is gold. Thank you sir 👍

[bethanyobrecht]

I am obsessed with Charles Dowding! We grew the most beautiful victory garden during quarantine during an uncertain and scary time last March during Covid in upstate New York. You are such an inspiration and so insanely talented! Friends and neighbors came and picked from the garden all throughout the summer and, we made many friends because they were so interested in what we started. Thank you Charles! You are amazing! Thank you for bringing family and friends together outside during such a scary moment in time. - Bethany NY, USA

[tpangle]

The very day you posted this video, I had my lettuce seed packets on the table ready to plant! I had never had luck with germinating lettuce indoors. I always had to plant in the ground to get anything. I went to the store that very day and purchased vermiculite and followed your directions. I got PERFECT germination and pricked out the seedlings. I now have about 30 plants preparing to be transplanted. Once again: THANK YOU!!

I have been trying your pricking out method with lots of seedlings — bell peppers, spinach, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, parsley — with absolutely no transplanting shock! I LOVE this method! Thank you! I have been heaping soil on a paper plate and sprinkling the seeds on top, then pricking out when seedlings are ready. It's been perfect so far! I've been showing some other organic gardeners in my city how to do the pricking out. I cannot believe how well this works.

[Thelegendhaha]

Gardening therapy, thank you. There’s so much more fun and knowledge from your videos than watching some inane TV show or soulless movie.

[ogadlogadl]

20:05 I GEEK out on the variety’s! I love when Charles describes his favorites and his growing experiences with the different varieties he has available.
A whole hour long episode on just his favorites would be great!!

[sylviamachotta]

Wow alone this sentence "Just the main thing is you understand what you're doing and what the result will be." is so prophetic and true for almost all things in life. I admire your positive way of life and how respectful you handle everything. I love to learn from you <3

[anneriseley]

I have given up trying to grow lettuce, I didn`t even buy any seeds this year, and then I watched your video. I could see exactly what was the problem, the watering was where I was going wrong.I feel re-energised and can`t wait to have another go. Thank you Charles.

[jlpschofield]

The harvesting of the outer leaves has been fantastic for productivity in my garden, plus I love how tidy it keeps the plants. It is a simple thing that everyone can do, my favorite type of tip!

[jetiyap.]

That's obviously different amount of germination in those 2 materials. Thank so much for sharing ♥️

[paulboyter]

I love the fact that you don’t have any complicated irrigation piping all over the place. I my self enjoy spending time watering each day as I get a chance to see what’s going on in the garden. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom Sir. Your knowledge is invaluable to me 🙏🏼

[stlmama]

I just got a small, unheated greenhouse last fall. After having great success last year in my garden with your lettuce methods, I decided to give winter lettuce a try in the greenhouse. It’s been great fun and very productive. I used large plastic storage bins, about five inches deep, for growing, and multi-purpose potting mix. In two bins of these bins I have over 20 plants, and I probably could have planted a bit more densely. Here in St. Louis MO USA we had one really bad week of sub zero F temps in January, which required running a heater in the greenhouse, but the rest of the time the lettuce has done fine with no added heat. It’s so neat to go out on a chilly day in Feb and cut lettuce for supper. After years of very lackluster lettuce, I am now an enthusiastic grower thanks to your awesome instruction! Just started seed trays for spring lettuce and can’t wait for pricking out day. It’s my new stress relief!

[dimitarzlatanski]

What an amazing video going through everything from sowing to harvest.

The very day I watched your video I took a pack of lettuce seeds and sowed them in a small tray like you do. I used some potting compost and mixed it with some peat I found below an evergreen tree. Below the natural mulch of brown needles on the ground I found some well-rotted material which I partly used for the sowing compost.

I followed what you did when sowing your lettuce and am now waiting for the seeds to germinate and start pricking them out and putting them in individual modules in about a week. Hope this works with me as much as I see it does with everyone else!

Thank you Charles for sharing your knowledge and experience for free and for the good of the people around you!

[thirddaysoapsgarden]

Using the stick for holes has saved my back as well and creates beautiful plant holes.

[joesoutdoorplaces]

I happened upon your channel while searching for interesting gardeners and I am happy I found you. I am in the USA, Louisiana zone 8b. I have been doing no dig for a couple of seasons and my crops seem to have improved dramatically. In any case I am enjoying gardening much more with less work. The only difference I see in our gardens is that I mulch with chopped leaves and pine straw. I rake it out of the way to sow, or just dig through it if putting down plants. I did learn the value of a dibbler from you and will be using one from now on. Thank you.

[natanaelaranda]

CHARLES DOWDING YOU ARE A REAL TEACHER. YOU HAVE PATIENCE LIKE ME, AND EVERY DAY I SEE YOUR VIDEOS, AND I DREAM OF HAVING A GARDEN LIKE YOURS, AND I BEGAN TO SEARCH IN CITIES FOR COMMUNITY GARDENS, AND I FOUND ONE, I WAS VERY LUCKY, AND THEY WERE DELIGHTED WITH ME WHEN I TOLD HIM I DON'T USE CHEMICALS OR FERTILIZERS, BECAUSE MINE IS ALL ORGANIC, AND I ALSO TOLD THEM I DONT DIG TO PLANT, AND THEY WERE VERY HAPPY, AND THEIR ASSISTANT ALSO LOOKING AT ME THEY SAW THE SOIL THAT I ADDED " FUNGAL BASED COMPOST MEDIUM AND LEAF MOLD COMPOST MIDIUM, AND THEY SAW THAT IT WAS BLACK EARTH AND THEIRS WAS REGULAR EARTH WHITE COLOR, AND SOME OF THEM SAID YOU KNOW HOW TO PLANT, THE NEXT DAY THEY SAW MY LETTUCE PLANTS AND MY CHILI PLANTS AND PLANTS TO MAKE MY TEA"S MINT AND 4 OTHERS, AND EVERY DAY I GO TO SEE THEM, THESE TWO WEEKS HAVE RAINED A LOT AND I WANT TO COVER THEM BUT THE WATER DOESN'T LET ME, BUT THE PLANTS LOOK VERY HEALTHY AND THE LEAVES ARE WELL CRIPY AND THE CELERY IS 12 AND THEY LOOK JUST AS GOOD AND THANKS TO YOU CHARLES DOWING BUT LIKE TO HAVE THE STICK TO PLANT, YOU DO IT SO EASY, WHERE YOU BUY IT ?? THANKS CHARLES