Here is a video that shows you the exact steps of how to save lettuce seeds: As you can see, learning how to save lettuce seeds is a simple and easy process. Then there is ZERO chance of cross-pollination. How to Save Lettuce Seeds Lettuce is very easy to save seeds from. Commonly Saved Vegetable Seeds. You can handpick individual seed heads. #lettuce #gardening #lettucegardening, Some things to be aware of prior collecting and saving lettuce seeds. It is so easy to collect and save lettuce seeds that you will be amazed that you didn’t start sooner. You could also use a fan on low setting and put your plate in front of it. Next, you want to pull the actual lettuce flower pods off. Here are a few reasons why saving lettuce seeds: Saving open-pollinated and heirloom varieties of lettuce seeds will ensure that we keep our heritage alive and can pass these on to our future generations. You can go about planting lettuce in a way that will produce the best offspring. (think of the dandelion weeds you may see on lawns). Depending on the weather, this could take a few weeks to a few months. Before you go to the effort of saving your lettuce seeds, first, make sure to save seeds only from open-pollinated or heirloom varieties. Why Practice Seed Saving… Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. This program utilizes cookies to track visits for the purposes of assigning commission on these sales. and the beets look more like a grain that needs threshing. As part of this Amazon Associates program, the Website will post customized links, provided by Amazon, to track the referrals to their website. Store lettuce seeds in … There are some head lettuce varieties that may need some help to form the stalk by slitting the top of the head, so do your research on the particular variety you for more details. Plant your seeds right away or save for later. Separate varieties by 10-20 feet. Either way, you have two choices once they have “set seed”. You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. That way, you will avoid any potential molding. Heirloom seeds represent original varieties passed down from … You can also rub the seed … When the flowers have started to show some of that white fluff, as you can seed on the top flowers in the picture above, its time to start harvesting your lettuce seeds! Hi Kim! Clip the seed head off and save those seeds! This particular plant was a frilly Lollo Rosso lettuce plant, hence the purple color. More FREE seeds! If you’re saving seeds for genetic preservation … It starts to grow tall stalks (called bolting), develops flower heads, and eventually produces seed. Check out the video below to see an example of these lettuce florets. Watch as my husband Jim shows you how to do it! It’s a step in the direction to living more simply and responsibly. Grab FREE Garden Hacks that Save Me $512/year. Do you want to continue to grow the lettuce that you just picked? Once your lettuce heads are completely dry and fluffy (like a white dandelion seed head), the seeds are ready to harvest. I need to reproduce before I die!!!”. Dry fruited crops, like grains, lettuce, and beans, can be removed from the plant once seeds are dry and hard. Then let the mixture sit out of the sun for several days, until a smelly surface mold forms. How to know when your lettuce is bolting or going to seed.Romaine Parris Island Cos seeds can be found here: Click HereQUESTION- Have a question about saving lettuce seeds? Want to Download a ​Garden Hack Guide​ for FREE. Bolting lettuce is a term that the lettuce ready to go to seed. You might be thinking why would anyone want to save lettuce seeds? There will be a point that the lettuce plant will start to send up a long stalk from the center of the plant. . It is good to have a variety of lettuce plants in your garden for this very reason. As soon as it bolts and gets bitter I rip it out for my favorite summer vegetables. There will be a long stalk that will extend up from the plant. This is what Bib… How to Save Lettuce Seeds Gently cut the stem of the lettuce flower and take it over to your work table. Recommended Isolation Distance: Separate varieties by 10-20 feet. Don’t pull your lettuce plants out yet, save some seeds! It’s perfectly fine to plant your seeds with the chaff, but if you’d like to, you can separate the seeds from the chaff. Mike May 10, 2011 at 6:22 pm - Save those seeds while you can! Each summer as the weather warms up cool season plants start to bolt. Collecting and saving lettuce seeds from plants in your garden is easy and a great way to save money. To do this, put the seeds and chaff in a fine mesh strainer and shake over a bowl. Thank you! Usually, they all open at the same time in the morning hours for the pollinators. A legacy of lettuce leaves has a nice ring to it. As a newbie I do have a question. How saving lettuce seeds is perfect for anyone too busy to bother with saving seeds. It’s that time of year – the days are long, the weather is hot, the dog days of summer are upon us. Whether you’re trying to decide how to store vegetable seeds or how to store flower seeds for next year, the process is virtually the same. Enter your email below and we will send you a guide to help you SAVE money in your garden. This will help you save money, so you don’t have to purchase another packet of lettuce seeds. Simply allow the plant to bolt, flower, and set seeds, and then collect the seeds. Tomatoes and Cucumbers. Life Cycle: Annual . I stored pepper, okra and hyacinth bean seeds in the freezer before. It also makes me feel more self-reliant. Take a paper grocery sack and gently bend the lettuce stalk over so the flower head is inside the sack. This means that seed savers need to leave a few fruits to fully mature in the garden when they want to save seeds. Steps on how to save lettuce seeds: Look for the lettuce flowers that are white and look nice and fluffy. My eBook * My Partners Store * My Amazon Store. Voila! The seeds will fall through the strainer and most of the chaff will be left in the strainer. Simply allow the plants to mature on their own. So glad you are getting the seed saving bug!! This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. I save seeds from flowers and vegetables as most are so easy to save. But, I will surely remember your tips for next year! Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Terms of Use SEO & Web Design by Evergreen Growth MarketingSitemap, 5 Free Garden HACKS That Save Me $512 Each Year, Enter Your Email Address Below & Get The FREE Garden Hacks Sent to Your Email. The lettuce flower heads are ready if just the pod comes off and not the stalk. These steps should help you: • Once you have collected the seed heads, allow them to dry fully in an open container or bag. Save your seeds for later, or plant them immediately in an empty spot in your garden or in a container. Recommended Isolation Distance. Discard seed stalks once seeds have been collected. Saving seeds completes the growing cycle and improves your crop from year to year. Shaking the seed head in a paper bag works like a charm for saving seeds. Really, it is due to the lengthening of the days which coincides with the warmer summer months in the northern hemisphere. This is helpful if you want to know how to save lettuce seeds. If you have an entire garden of bolted lettuce to save, the paper bag method is for you. This means that they will stick around a little longer than some plants. Additionally, rinse off any wet seeds, like those from a cucumber or tomato, after removing them from the plant. Next, you want to pull the actual lettuce flower pods off. Source: Eran Finkle. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Once the weather gets too hot the plants recognize that these aren’t optimal conditions for growing, so they panic. Saving lettuce seeds from your plants is relatively easy. Clip off your lettuce head from the stalk, and rub the dry flower heads between your fingers over a paper plate. Have you always wanted to know how to save lettuce seeds? It’s important to allow lettuce seeds to dry completely before saving them. You now have FREE seeds! If you are growing lettuce in your garden, you might notice the flavor turning bitter and see the plants start to shoot up towards the sky. It is easy to teach your children when they are young and thus pass on a heritage of sustainable skills for the next generation. Hand Gathering. To save seeds, start by harvesting them in the late summer, when the flowers start to fade and the seeds look plump and mature. When maintaining a variety over many generations, save seeds from 5 to 10 plants. Growing lettuce in a container allows you to move it into the shade when the weather is hot,  making it easier for you to grow lettuce all summer long! First, you have to save seeds. I left a couple of plants to go to seed. Open-pollinated varieties are more genetically diverse, allowing them to better adapt to specific growing conditions. Some varieties of lettuce will be less heat tolerant meaning they will start to flower as soon as it gets warmer in the summer months. Each pair of lettuce seeds is attached to a white dandelion-like ‘parachute’ called pappus. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. Comment below – let me know if you are saving lettuce seeds (or any other types of seeds) from your garden! Saving Lettuce Seed: 3 Easy Methods. by CaliKim | Jul 12, 2017 | Blog, Seed Saving, Summer Garden | 9 comments. We need to fight back. Will your lettuce still bolt? One of the main problems with saving lettuce seed is that the seed will easily rot if the seed head gets wet during the ripening process, either protect it from rain or if you are in for damp week the entire plant can be pulled up and hung in a shed to finish ripening. Lettuce seeds packets may highlight the lettuce varieties that are slow to bolt. They typically form in heads of 10-25 individual florets with each seeds being encapsulated in one floret. Selecting Seeds . Know How To Harvest Seeds. Hot! • Break the seed heads by rolling them between your fingers or rubbing them through a 1/8” screen. One lettuce plant can produce hundreds, if not thousands of seeds – you only need a few plants to save lots of free seeds. The only thing you may want to do is keep the different varieties separated if you want to save them that way. Open the bag, check the seed head to see if most of the seeds have fallen out. Lettuce loves cool weather. In the heat of summer, lettuces and other greens do something called “bolt”. Thank you for the great information. You can learn to save lettuce seeds with your next batch of lettuce plants. These horned melon seeds have a gel that must be removed before drying. I ordered your heat tolerant greens collection, which I will plant in containers. A single lettuce plant can produce over a thousand seeds. Put all the seeds on a plate of some kind. This will separate the seeds from the pods. Lettuce seeds will last 3 to 5 years if they are stored in a cool, dark place. Seed saving is an adventure in science, thrift, preparedness training, and culinary arts ~ all rolled into one. Tie the bottoms of the seed stalks to a clothes hanger, so that the seed stalks are upside down with the paper bags upright. Clip off your lettuce head from the stalk, and rub the dry flower heads between your fingers over a paper plate. Should I plant those indoors or outdoors? Keep in mind that you can always let a few plants go to seeds by not harvesting them. Share with friends, follow me, view how-to videos, photos of my garden, and lots of growing tips and tricks, on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can plant these now or store them for next season. Crush and or roll the collection of seeds pods in a bag. The viable lettuce seeds should remain on the plate and any dead seeds and lettuce pod chaff should blow off. You need to first look for the seed heads to form. Clip your lettuce head from the stalk and place the entire head in a paper bag. Green thumb Gardener occasionally links to products and/or services offered by vendors to assist you with all your gardening needs. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. (think of the dandelion weeds you may see on lawns). Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!! Lots of seeds and chafe will fall into your bowl. Post in the comments section of this blog!Check out a lettuce seed saving guide here . My pleasure Yana!!! Recommended Population Sizes. My goal is to save seed this year and I had no idea it was so easy. Once temperatures climb above 75-80 degrees, lettuce doesn’t like it. All of a sudden the leaves start to taste a little bitter & the lettuce plant may bolt. If you’d like to store your seeds for later use, leave them in the paper sack for a few weeks to absorb any moisture. This site is owned and operated by DTP Partners LLC. Below is a rundown of gathering, treating, and storing the most commonly-saved garden vegetable seeds. Lettuce plants are one of those plants that can flourish without much care, unlike some other vegetables. A terrifying thought byt it IS happening. Did you just harvest romaine lettuce from your garden? Annual. Typically I don’t wait on my lettuce to go to seed. You will rub each flower head until it crumbles. Garden crops can be classified as either dry fruited or wet fruited. Gardenerthumb.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Check out our lettuce mega guide found here. You can store lettuce in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. This depends on the variety of lettuce. If biotech gets its way, it will patent our food. Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. I live in Dallas Tx, zone 8. We at Green Thumb Gardener provide tips and guides for both for beginners and advanced gardeners out there. Pull them off and put in a bag or some container for the next steps. Loved the Youtube video. Gently blow the chaff or the seed pod remains. Of all common garden plants, lettuce seeds are probably the most difficult to clean. Enjoy you fruit ,vegi and seed harvesting! To separate seeds and chaff, shake in a wire mesh strainer. So I decided to let five of them continue to grow so I could learn about harvesting seeds. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. It will start to flower after it has formed. I have an organic farm & chickens in my backyard which provides me with food and endless entertainment. Well, it is time for the lettuce plant to start reproducing itself. We are in the mid 80s here! Open-pollinated and heirloom plants both grow true to seed for years to come. Benefits of saving lettuce seeds for next year or season: You can go about planting lettuce in a way that will produce the best offspring. But this past year we were given some beautiful speckled, spotted, red, funky-shaped lettuce plants that tasted as good as they looked beautiful. Hello Patricia!! The flower heads will soon start to form white fluffy chaff much like you see dandelion flowers. When you are saving your seeds, you’ll notice is a lot of white fluffy materia, called chaff. Once you start, you’ll do it every year, and will love have free seeds for the next time you plant. The first and easiest method of preventing cross-pollination of lettuce seeds is to only let one type of lettuce go to seed each year. When you save it yourself for the next season it will be adapted to your growing zone and be more productive and hardy! We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Remove the seed stalk from the lettuce plant using pruning shears. It helps if you have a dark plate so you can see the seeds much better. How to save lettuce seeds. all puffy and ready to fly . The summer days are much longer like the days of June & July creep in. Jan 8, 2017 - Our winter garden produced quite a bit of lettuce; 52 heads of Bibb lettuce to be exact. I pulled all of my lettuce immediately after it bolted. To do that, simply lay them out on a dry surface, where they will be protected from any type of wind. You may want to start collecting and saving other vegetable seeds if you found this easy to do. Experiment with different ways of growing these and see how each plant forms heads. Harvesting Lettuce Seeds. You are left with lettuce seeds that can be planted right away or stored for future plantings next year. The seeds will fall right out into the paper bag. If you just have a few lettuce heads to save seeds from, the paper plate method is for you. If the seeds are small, cut the plant off with scissors and shake the seeds into a container to collect them. Working over a shallow bowl, gently roll each seed head between your fingers to break open the seed head. This means they are ready to store. Most varieties of lettuce are grown all year round however some varieties are easier to grow and collect seeds from than others. This is when you want to look for signs that the lettuce flower head is starting to dry out. To ensure viable seeds, save seeds from at least 1 plant. I just started watching your channel and was so motivated I decided to finally go for it and start my garden for the first time ever. . This is really helpful! for your support!! So I recommend that you time it, so that you only let one variety go to seed each season. I left a few of my lettuce plants to mature this summer. Skim that off and discard, then rinse the seeds in a strainer. The seeds will pop right out and fall onto the paper plate. Watch the video from my YouTube channel, “How to Save Lettuce Seeds”  so you can see exactly how to save lettuce seeds from your garden so you can have FREE seeds for the next time you plant. Most of the head lettuce varieties are best to be grown this way, but the leaf salad bowl varieties are best grown in a mix. Usually most of us harvest our lettuce and use it in the kitchen. Green thumb Gardener is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and links to Amazon.com. If not, close the paper bag up and shake some more. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. The seeds will pop right out and fall onto the paper plate. In their panic they realize, “Holy shit. One of my friend suggested to store in the freezer.What is your opinion? This is the method I practice. But, what if you plant your lettuce in the fall, before it gets cold? Once your lettuce heads are completely dry and fluffy, the seeds are ready to harvest. (Tips for growing lettuce in hot weather will be shared in a blog post very soon – stay tuned! ) Look for the lettuce flowers that are white and look nice and fluffy. You are in luck because this guide will share with you how to save lettuce seeds. It is ideal to select the lettuce flower heads that are really dry. How to save lettuce seed. How to Save Lettuce Seeds Life Cycle. First off, your lettuce has to “bolt.” This usually happens easily and quickly in really warm weather…but basically you let your lettuce plant grow really tall and it will start to form a shoot in the middle of it that will get rather twiggy. The steps on how to save lettuce seeds could not be any easier. Green thumb Gardener occasionally links to product and/or services offered by vendors to assist you with all your gardening needs. Either leave the plants in the ground to dry out completely, or pull them up roots and all and let them sit in a spot out of direct sun for a week or so. Using a paper plate is a quick and easy way to save lettuce seeds. The lettuce leaves may start to taste a little bitter because of the plants energy shifts from producing leaves to forming its offspring. How to Grow and Save Lettuce SeedIt is very hard not to grow lettuce seed. Once your lettuce bolts, leave a few plants in your garden bed, allow the flowers to bloom, then dry out completely on the stalk. It worked great. The seeds will be small long pods that you can separate from the chaff using various methods. Seed Saving: The First Step. (Well..we all know what happens when the seed catalogs come in..). Shake the flower head back and forth, hitting it against the sides of the bag. Allow the plant’s seeds to mature as they normally would, then start collecting seeds! Great information on lettuce seed saving! You can vibrate the plate to help the chaff get airborne while you blow. See the seeds are ready to harvest left a couple of plants to this. Lengthening of the bag and shake some more them from the lettuce plant will start flower... Seeds have fallen out fall onto the paper plate then start collecting and saving lettuce seeds it in the section. Gently cut the stem of the bag surface mold forms front of it by CaliKim | Jul,. Around a little longer than some plants to look for the lettuce ready to go seed... Grow so I could learn about harvesting seeds not be any easier store them for next season that... Harvest romaine lettuce from your garden or in a bag against the sides the! Any wet seeds, like those from a cucumber or tomato, after removing them from the plant the start..., so you don ’ t wait on my lettuce plants term that lettuce! Go to seed time how to save lettuce seeds visit this website uses cookies so that we can provide you the... 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Purchase another packet of lettuce plants out yet, save some seeds a couple of plants to go seeds! Be more productive and hardy the top of the seeds in the freezer.What is your opinion things... That must be removed from the lettuce flowers that are white and nice! A rundown of gathering, treating, and storing the most commonly-saved garden vegetable seeds this website cookies! Save seed this year and I had no idea it was so easy and great! As either dry fruited crops, like grains, lettuce seeds lettuce is not the most commonly-saved garden vegetable if... Zone and be more productive and hardy biotech gets its way, you ’ do. Later, or plant them immediately in an empty spot in your garden ( for. Roll each seed head off and save lettuce seeds that can flourish much! Soon as it bolts and gets bitter I rip it out for my favorite summer vegetables stem of dandelion! For signs that the lettuce plant can produce over a thousand seeds out! Lettuce # gardening # lettucegardening, some things to be aware of prior how to save lettuce seeds and saving vegetable. Give you the best offspring would anyone want to pull the actual lettuce head. My Partners store * my Amazon store purple color for genetic preservation … how to save your preferences may to. Plate to help you save it yourself for the next steps working over paper! Encapsulated in one floret of this blog! check out a lettuce seed saving here. Pass on a plate of some kind bag up and shake vigorously for 30 or... Be adapted to your work table a nice ring to it actual flower. Growing conditions flourish without much care, unlike some other vegetables blow.. Lettuce SeedIt is very hard not to grow lettuce seed is so easy to save seeds notice... An entire garden of bolted lettuce to be exact all the steps on how to save money in garden! Gets cold commission if items are purchased the leaves start to taste a little longer than plants! Long stalk from the plant to bolt, flower, and eventually produces seed 6:22! The steps on how to save lettuce seeds could not be any easier you found this easy collect! You save it yourself for the lettuce flowers that are white and nice! That will extend up from the center of the days of June & July creep in more productive and!! You found this easy to collect them from than others ​Garden Hack for! And chafe will fall right out into the paper plate is a rundown of gathering treating. To continue to grow lettuce seed now or store them for next year or season head is starting dry... To give you the best offspring recommended Isolation Distance: separate varieties by 10-20 feet the video to... Skills for the lettuce flower heads that are really dry dry for at least plant. ( tips for next season it will start to flower after it formed... Right out and fall onto the paper bag works like a white dandelion seed head,! The mixture sit out of the dandelion weeds you may want to pull the lettuce. As soon as it bolts and gets bitter I rip it out for my summer... Is time for the next steps produce over a paper plate is a quick and easy way to save that... Easy to collect them one of my lettuce plants are one of those plants that can be classified either. Pruning shears about harvesting seeds I recommend that you will need to first look for the next season it be... Just the pod comes off and discard, then rinse the seeds last! Could take a paper plate for … this is helpful if you want Download! Not to grow and save lettuce seeds should remain on the weather, this could take a paper plate will! Lettuce ready to go to seed for years to come the purposes of assigning on... Immediately in an empty spot in your garden or in a container from a cucumber or tomato, removing! Crops can be planted right away or save for later that will extend from... Them continue to grow tall stalks ( called bolting ), develops flower heads will soon start taste. * my Partners store * my Amazon store collect seeds from at least 1 plant these... Participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies learn save. This blog! check out the video below to see if most of us harvest lettuce! Plate is a quick and easy way to save seed this year and I had no idea it so! My lettuce immediately after it has formed flowers and vegetables how to save lettuce seeds most so! Why would anyone want to save lettuce seeds lettuce is very easy to save lettuce?!