Another question answered! Here goes:
Q. A two-part question—I have planted lettuce (spring mix mesclun greens) in biodegrateable cells inside. They have started to sprout and I want to know (a). how big they need to get before I move them outside? and (b). how much room should I give them for growth once they are planted?
-Weymouth, MA
Q. You can save yourself a step and plant lettuce directly in the ground at this time of year. Since you have started them inside, you’ll be a bit a head of the game and your seedlings will have a head start! You can plant them outside any time now….just be sure to “harden” them off before you move them permanently. Hardening means putting them outside during the day in light sun and bringing them in at dusk. Since the weather is supposed to be very warm over the weekend…make sure to keep the soil moist around them. Small containers dry out fast! By Sunday evening, you can put the entire biodegradable cell in the ground and they should be fine! Light frost shouldn’t be a problem but if a hard frost is forecast, a light row covering or sheet put over them will protect them from freezing.
RE your second question… if they are tightly packed together in the containers, I would try to separate…but otherwise plant as is and harvest leaves (and eat them!) as they get to be a couple of inches tall to thin them out.
Have some fun with this…plant more lettuce in a few weeks for a continuous crop!
Barbara Emerson, Have Green Thumb, Manchester, MA
