Thinning Started Plants- Especially Lettuce

[wifezilla]

Not sure. How far off the ground would the vine tops end up being? Would heavy fruit pull down on the vine and cause damage? Hummm. If you watched it and pinched off blossoms that might lead to inconveniently placed fruit, you might be able to pull it off.

 

[big brown horse]

Fantastic information everyone! I thinned my carrots by pulling them up. I wish I had known you could re plant them, oh well. Now my lettuce is just beginning to sprout and I will have to thin them, so just chop off the leaves with small scissors, hua? Or if they seperate well, put the lettuce that you thinned into another pot. O.K.


My grandmother used to strip paper towells into 2 inch strips. She would dot the paper towel with honey every 4 inches or so. Onto the dot of honey she dropped a carrot seed. then she burried the strips of paper towel. I never tried that, but she didn't have to thin her carrots.

 

[digitS']

I wish I could paste this list of "easy," "require care," and "difficult" to transplant vegetables. But, just click on this link and take a look at Table #1 on this University of Florida website.

Melons are "difficult" and I'm surprised that carrots just "require care." I would have thought that something with that large of a taproot wouldn't work too well.

To thin responsibly - there is a mind-set that you have to get yourself into. Don't think too much about what is being pulled, think about what is being left to grow. Do you want it stunted by competition? Of course, not! Give it a chance - give it some room.

Steve

 

[Beekissed]

In the SFG book I think they were saying that a lot of seeds---and money---get wasted by sowing thickly and then thinning. In the interests of saving money and not buying extra seed, I sowed my romaine last year with one seed for each designated area. This worked out very well and I have so much seed left over. No thinning, either.

The only problem is those small, small seeds and getting them planted separately. I guess its worth it to some to just sow thick and then thin. This year I did 2-3 seeds per and will thin and transplant starting heads. I've done this with success with romaines.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

My beloved grandma taught me to mix fine seed with lots of sand or fine grit then sow the two together. That way the seeds don't clump together & they are more evenly spaced.

Happy Gardening! :happy_flower

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[mtn_penny]

Newbie to the boards but I do what Hattie does on those small seeds mix with some sand and then I also do the pinch method so I end up with only 3-4 seedlings and not as much to thin.