My husband is from a more rural area then I am. I have always bought lettuce brought it into the house, cleaned the whole head, sometimes wrapping in papertowels until the water drains and it stays crisp. My husband thinks you should put it in the fridge dirty and wash the leaves as you need them.
It's better to wash it first and then store. This article should help you: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/lettuce/cleaning-lettuce-how-to-clean-and-store-garden-lettuce.htm
I am starting my first veggie garden this year and I was wondering if I can combine some veggies together? I have Simpson, Romane lettuce, cucumbers, grape, Roma, Fireball tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, Jalapenos, and some herbs. Thanks.
Yes, many vegetable make great companions. This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/companion-vegetable-garden.htm
I have planted seed for lettuce 3 times, spinach and beets twice, and have transplanted some small tomato seedlings twice. Yet, when the seedlings emerge by the 2nd day of visible leaves, most are gone, and by 3rd day all are gone. Even with the transplants of tomato seedlings the first leaves to disappear are the newest, then next day the rest of the leaves, leaving the stalk and then the green stalk will also be gone. I have not been able to catch what is doing this. There are some 'roly poly' bugs I have seen, but it would take more of them than I have seen I would think. What can I do to stop whatever this is? I want more than half a dozen spinach plants and 1 leaf lettuce, but that is all that's survived so far to pick!
I have to assume since you are not seeing anything that it's a slug feasting on your little plants. They tend to come out at night, so this would be the reason for not seeing them. They do, however, leave signs of their presence through shiny, slimy looking trails. Here is more information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/facts-about-slugs-and-how-to-kill-garden-slugs.htm
My lettuce plants should be ready in three weeks and I have just found out have root maggots. Will the plants stop growing or can I keep them going till the three weeks are up?
The best thing you can do is add a pesticide to the soil. This will kill the root maggots and prevent any further damage.
Whether or not your lettuce will continue to grow depends on how much damage is already on the roots, and how many maggots there are. I recommend you harvest as much as you can, as soon as you can, and hope for the best. The really critical part is the steps you take to control the pest to keep it from coming back next year. This article will help with that: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/root-maggot-control.htm
Is there some way to keep gophers out of my vegetable garden? They devastated a row of lettuce, and killed the tomatoes and peppers 3 years ago, but didn't bother the carrots. Two years ago, I put the plants in 5 gallon pots with the bottoms cut out (the pots were sunk 3/4 of the way into the ground). That kept the gophers out, but the plants didn't thrive. This past summer, I just put a few peppers and tomatoes in pots on the patio. That is just too limiting. I have room for a big garden, and the little furry critters are preventing me from utilizing the area. The folks at the garden center laughed when I asked about the effectiveness of the sound-emitting device designed to scare away the gophers. Is there anything out there to keep out the gophers (or the other burrowing critters)? Thanks for any help you can give me.
This article will help you: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/eliminate-gophers.htm
I have failed to purchase Iceberg lettuce seeds here in the centre of France. I had some seeds from the UK last year but they failed to germinate. Please advise where can I purchase seeds and tips on growing Iceberg in my 8mtr x 4mtr polly tunnel. If not Iceberg, Little Gems are similar tight hearts. Looking forward to your reply.
Best regards,
Peter Dowdall
Try searching for "iceberg lettuce seeds UK." (I found several good online seed providers that way.)
Here are two articles with good tips for growing iceberg lettuce: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/lettuce/different-lettuce-types.htm
https://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/HG_Garden_2005-16.pdf
I sowed some lettuce seeds on Feb 18, which germinated 3 days later in the house. They would now be about 3 inches (8 cm) tall but for the fact that their stems are very thin and fragile and they are lying horizontal. Do you have any idea what has caused this and what I could have done to make them grow straight with firmer stems?
Thanks
Stuart
It sounds as if you have some leggy seedlings, which are caused by a lack of light. The light source is too far away and your plants are speeding up their growth in order to get close enough to it. This causes the seedlings to get thin and floppy.
I would advise you to move your seedlings to a south-facing window so they get maximum exposure to the sun.
The article below will give you some pointers on how to toughen up your seedlings, such as brushing your hands over them a few times a day or gently blowing an oscillating fan on them a few hours a day.
Try moving your seedlings to a south-facing window You can also force seedlings that are too tall to grow thicker by lightly brushing your hands over them a few times a day or placing an oscillating fan to blow gently on them for a few hours every day.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/seeds/leggy-seedling.htm