Vegetable growing

I looked in the Vegetable Forum but didn't see anyone from the PNW. I am totally new to growing vegetables but I planted some small red leave lettuce over a month ago and it doesn't seem to have grown at all. Also spinach.
The brussel sprouts, cabbage and beets are doing fine. I can't tell what is wrong with the lettuce and spinach. It doesn't look as if there have been slugs or anything eating it unless maybe birds that didn't leave any tell tale signs. It is our weather that could be the problem. Does anyone have experience with growing lettuce in our weather? Thanks in advance. :)Donna

I plant lettuce starts in the fall and let them winter over. They pretty much just sit there until it starts warming up in spring then they take off. When it gets too warm for them they bolt to seed and are then finished (to the compost they go). For spring planting you may want to get them planted earlier, say March. I plant 6 starts of leaf lettuce Red Sails last fall and didn't have to pay any of the recent high prices for lettuce. Maybe a bit of fertilizer will help. But we will soon be getting into warmer weather and they may not do well.

Thanks Pardalinum, I didn't have a clue. That's good to know the timing.
Would it have helped if I had put a cover over the lettuce? I will fertilize them and see what happens

No, a cover won't help, unless there is actually something eating them, then maybe a light row cover to keep whatever it is out. Just curious, did you start from seed or purchase lettuce starts?

I started from plants but they have barely grown any.

I'm by no means much of a vegie gardener, but I'm closer to your zone than the most enviable Willamette, so I'll pass on what little I can suggest.
1. For next year, Territorial Seed is your friend.
http://www.territorial-seed.com
No way for me to tell if you have a type of lettuce that does well here at the best of times, and you will hear us all whinging all over the forum about how little good all this grey and rain is doing our gardens. That said, I planted a small patch of Territorial's Italian Saladini Mesclun mix on 5/3 and as of last week have started bringing in lettuce for a few small salads.

Do you know what kind of soil you are planting in and was your start pot-bound?

I couldnt wait for the weather to get better and i have had the whole garden in since befor mothers day (wich i was told i was a fool) but i have corn thats knee high and lettuce out the WAZOO .wich makes me very happy ! i did seed and all is well so far .im getting ready to plant more so i can have fresh all summer .the seed i used was ed hume and herloom verities of mesclin mix .keep trying it might have been to wet or to cold .

No, I don't know what kind of soil I have in my raised vegetable garden. My son-in-law built the garden and filled it with soil. He is an Agronomist (study of soil) so hopefully he knew what kind to put in. He also gardens. I will ask him however because I am wondering too. I don't remember if the starts were pot bound.

SHINE;
Careful, and watch for cougars around that wazoo!! heheheh

Best;
bluelytes

I would think lettuce would be doing great this year with all our lack of sun and warmth. Maybe your soil is depleted.

My tomatoes are miserable. Worse than miserable, actually. But my pumpkins and potatoes and strawberries are doing great. I never got my lettuce in but keep thinking with all this cloudy weather I could still plant some. With the high price of organic lettuce right now, I should be kicking myself.

Gwen

Greetings from the wilds of S.E. Washington State! I'm a hobby/marketgrower of all kinds of vegetables and as my handle indicates, I specialize in growing lettuce. I grow over 40 different varieties and sell mostly to restaurants in my area. I begin my lettuce indoors under lights in seedling trays about March 1, and about two weeks later transplant them into the garden. I harden them off for about a week before. About March 20, I begin direct seeding the lettuce in the garden. I continue to direct seed every ten days or so until the temp. gets over 80 degrees. At that temp. and above, lettuce seed refuses to germinate, so I return to starting the seeds indoors and transplanting outside. I can usually keep lettuce growing through the month of November here. One more thing. You can't water lettuce too much!!
Regards,
Bill

Hey Bill, what zone are you in? I'm in the Tri-Cities and this is my first year for veggie growing. I passed on the lettuce this year; I got sort of a late start by the time my husband built my raised beds. My peas have sure liked the cool June weather we've had though. I was sure I wouldn't get any but they are coming on like wildfire. What do you know about cilantro? What I've read leads me to believe it likes cool weather as well and will start to set seed around now (which is what mine is doing). The cilantro itself is nearly 4 feet high and looking really leggy right now. I am getting coriandar like crazy so I will have to find some new recipes! Any tips for keeping the bugs (earwigs especially) out of the veggies? Do they feast on lettuce as well? My beet tops are being chowed on. Any veggie advise would be more than welcomed!!
-Stacey

Hi to all, I am Newbie Seafire -- I am a bit of a gardener

Hello Designmom!
Well, you're just over the freeway and across the river from me...We have zone 6a here in the Walla Walla region. Cilantro and Coriander are the same plant - it's cilantro if you use the leaves, coriander if you use the seeds. I don't grow it, but probably should. Earwigs?? get a shallow aluminum pan from your local baking supply section of a supermarket and fill it a quarter-full of vegetable oil and set out where the earwigs are chewing your stuff. They go for an oil swim and drown in droves!

Regards,
Bill

We've driven through Dayton a few times heading up to check out Bluewood (haven't skied there yet though) and on our way to or from Walla Walla. It is a neat little town but we've never had time to stop as we always have a little one with us.
My husband loves cilantro and uses it in his homemade salsa all the time. I have never used the coriander seed but as I seem to be unidated with it I better find some new recipes! We grew to use as cilantro but have since learned near the end of spring (now) they start to bloom and set the coriander seed.
A pan of vegetable oil huh? What a great tip. Safe for the kids and pets; I love it! I will definately give it a try. I found them in my sweet basil today when I was pinching back the tops. Nasty little fellows. Thanks!!
-Stacey

The next time you're traveling through Dayton, ask anyone here where to find "Wild Bill's Organic Gardens" (I have three in town), and they will direct you. Quite likely any of the restaurants will give you my cell phone no., which is the easiest way to find me these days. Stop by to talk gardening and for a tour of my gardens.

Best Regards,
Bill

Hi Wild Bill, LOL Thanks so much for the information. Your last sentance "You can't water your lettuce too much." One could take that either way. Should you water your lettuce a lot or not much? I'm thinking lots but I'm not sure. Anyway, it still hasn't grown much. Maybe I'll do better with seed. Not much chance of
80 degrees around here very soon I don't think. It has been in the 70's some. Everything else I planted is doing pretty well except the spinach.
Donna

I didn't think my lettuce was doing well, went out this evening to pick some leaves off and found I collected over a large strainer full! I just got done telling my hubby I couldn't believe how much there was when I thought there wasn't much:) I have red and green leaf from a local place called Joe's Garden.
My tomatoes stink! As in aren't growing:( I have a hanging tomatoe that's doing OK. 2 plants don't seem to be growing at all and the other 2 are slowly coming along.

OK lettuce man Bill....I got all that lettuce, washed it up, the green tastes fine, the red leaf, yuck! Bitter.....is that what slug tastes like?:o) Seriously, what makes lettuce bitter? Here I was such a bragger:( See what it got me!
Thanks, KAren

Welcome Seafire, Your vegetables look beautiful. I imagine you get a lot more sun down there than we do up here. We keep on hoping. :)Donna

Thanks Bill! If we happen to be down your way I will definately check it out. I will have to try lettuce next year. When is the best time to plant? Early or late spring? It turns out I planted my peas a little late this year but lucked out with the cool June weather we had and had a good yield. With this heat wave we are set to have I think they will be dropping off here soon. I didn't want to plant them too early and I should have planted them a least a month before I actually did get them in the ground. Live and learn. This was my first year of veggie gardening for me. My parents always grew container tomatoes and all of my grandparents were avid vegetable and rose gardeners so I guess a little of it is in the blood. Lettuce always was a good crop for my grandmother but she could grow anything. She even grew an orange, albeit small, in Western WA. We were all very impressed!
-Stacey

Hello somermoone!
Did your red leaf lettuce look like it was about to bolt? Did it have a sort of cone beginning at the top? All lettuce will get bitter to the taste when it is about to bolt.

Best regards,
Bill

Yes to the cone.....is that what bolting is? Do I just cut that off. I bought them as starts...never have grown it before. I love to cut things so give me the OK:)

Yup, you've got a bolting lettuce there! Whether you cut that cone off or not, the leaves will remain bitter...you could compost it, or leave it to produce seeds to plant next Spring if it's a variety you like.

And to answer Donna above, lettuce requires lots n' lots n' lots of water. I think they must be second only to cucumbers, which are 96% water!

Regards,
Bill

Thanks Bill, I decided to taste the lettuce that is growing some and it was also terribly bitter. Also bolting I guess. I think I'm going to yank it all out and start early next year. I'll plant some other things. We are finally getting some nice weather over here.
Donna

WHITE,
We DO re: NICE weather?? Its going to RAIN!?? Hooray!!


Best;
bluelytes

Bluelytes, Our forcast here says 80 degrees or above for a week. Olympia isn't that far away. I used to drive it once a week for years to see my elderly parents. Does your forcast say rain???? :(Donna

WHITE,
NO, DRAT!!!!!! Just HELL kinda HOT!!! :( :( :(

Thank goodness for air conditioners.

Best;
bluelytes

Bluebytes, That's funny. You're wanting rain and I'm wanting sun. Well, you live in the right place for rain. :)Donna

My friend said I could just palnt some seed every few weeks and should get lettuce. She told me not to buy starts again. I have to show a pic of their property....LOVELY to say the least! Mt Baker, beautiful!

The garden area garden behind the fence