Winter Kale and Lettuce

Hello Everyone, it will soon be Spring. This is the time when leaves start sprouting on bare trees and the time changes to let more daylight in preparation for Summer. You should be making decisions on what to plant in your Spring garden. I love this time of year; I can't wait to look through my garden seed magazines and decide what I will plant .

I always start my plants from seed. It's both economical and satisfying to plant a seed and nurture it all the way up to a mature plant. I have wrote and article on how to start any of your favorite plants from seed. You can read the article here: Garden tips.

This past Winter I have been experimenting with growing Kale and lettuce using a T-5 growing light and Agribon cold weather cover. This cover protects crops and nursery stock in freezes down to 24°F. This winter has had some cold  night time temperatures that if your plants are not covered they would be damaged by frost.

I set the growing light on a stand on my patio with the cold weather Agribon cover draped over that . I used standard growing trays and seed starting mix. I would like to mention that you can buy seed starting kits that self water your seedlings by filling up the water tray underneath and by a wicking action your plants take up as much water as they need. I have found that you must be careful not to over water your seedlings to much. 

This will cause a condition called (Damping off ) where your seedlings will start to wilt and bend over at the stem. I have good success by using a regular seed starting tray with your choice of seed starting mix  and watering sparingly. One key thing to remember is to have a grow light set on a timer  to turn on everyday at a specific time. Young seedlings need up to 14 hours of daylight every day! I also use a seed heating mat which warms the soil 10 to 20 degrees above room temperature.

Once your seedlings start poking through the soil they need sunlight right away in order to grow strong and straight. You then need to ad some fertilizer when you start to see the first true leaves on your plants.

The results of my Winter lettuce experiment is great! If you want to grow lettuces and Kale all winter you can. All you need is a dry space, a grow light and heating mat. All of these items can be purchased on my website under the heading Burpee growing supplies. 

Check out my pictures Below of Kale and lettuce growing under my grow lights:
On the left is Kale and on the right is Mesculan a french lettuce mix-you will also notice the timer used to light the seedlings daily.