Our Cut and Come Again lettuce seedlings are growing well in our Indoor Garden - so well that we now have a dilemma. Should we thin out - one seedling to each cell - or just let them all grow. When planting them outside we would probably leave them be as they would have plenty of space to grow but maybe if we try this indoors we will end up with weaklings - what would you do?
PS: Off subject completely but has anyone cleaned an oven with a steam cleaner and was it successful and if it was which one did you use? I want to buy one to clean my oven but reviews are contradictory so I don't know what to do - HELP!
Posts
or be really ruthless and pull out the weaker seedlings from each cell?
ReplyDelete- easy to say and really hard to do :}
I've a feeling that you are right BW - maybe we should prick the extras out into another tray!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could let them get a little bigger before you thin them and use the thinnings on a sandwich?? I always hate to thin seedlings and throw them away.
ReplyDeleteI have a steam cleaner for my floor. It's not the type you can use for walls and ovens...so, I'm no help
That's an idea Robin! Waste not want not!
ReplyDeleteI'm with robin...or you could thin out now and stick them in a pot...rinse them twice daily and you are just sprouting seeds and then eat them as you please...It's all the same principle!!
ReplyDeleteAs for the steam cleaner...I had no idea you could use them to clean your ovens...I just use oven pride...the bag kind and I think as I know it works well I'll stick with it...sorry I'm of no help there!! Good luck with the hunt though.
My view is this: if you want to use the seedlings as "baby leaves", don't thin them, but if you want to plant them out separately and let them mature, then thin them.
ReplyDeleteI'd leave 'em. Let 'em fight it out! They're tough little beggars; it'll do 'em no harm. I often don't thin 'em; the worst that happens is that they get a bit lop-sided from having two plants so close together.
ReplyDeleteI let them be more mature rather than thin them out. You can used them as baby salad while you transplant them.
ReplyDeleteI'd leave them for a bit then thin if needed.
ReplyDeleteWe battled with oven cleaning for years and got a guy round who stripped the whole cooker down and cleaned it back to brand new.
Now we just use Oven Mate from Lakeland which is the best cleaner by far we've tried.
Oven Mate (as per Damo's comment) makes the hell of oven cleaning bearable. If you do thin, certainly eat the thinnings - and call them micro leaves, so very trendy! Me, I wouldn't bother as they are salad leaves rather than lettuces, if you see what I mean, but then again I am a very lazy gardener...
ReplyDeletePersonally I'd go with the leave them a little longer tribe.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm more intrigued with steam cleaning an oven and I have all kinds of bizarre images flashing through my brain. We have a steam cleaner but I'm not sure I'd want it anywhere near my kitchen? I shall duly go away and Google :)
Seems that the general consensus is don't thing - eat as leaves thinning only if it proves necessary - sounds like a plan - thanks everyone.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Oven mate recommendation - Googling just makes you even more confused Mo. Some reckong the jug steamers are great - others that they are useless!!!
I agree with majority - leave them for now. And later you will decide if they will be transplanted or eaten.
ReplyDeleteI find thinning SO hard! However, I use lettuce as loose leaves rather than letting them heart up. With just 2 of us at home now, we don't use a whole lettuce but pull leaves every day. Fewer and fresher!
ReplyDeleteGood luck, whatever you decide on.
I would probably thin them now to give the remaining seedling the best chance to grow. I didn't know you could steam clean an oven, I usually leave that job for hubby to do, I hate it.
ReplyDeleteI can never thin seedlings out until they are so big I have no choice! I get sentimental over them. Pathetic I know!!
ReplyDeleteI would wait till they are slightly bigger then cut the smallest ones off with scissors so you don't hurt the roots, then eat them as micro greens.
ReplyDeleteI think it will be just that Ana leave until later.
ReplyDeleteThey lettuces aren't the hearting up kind VH
WE both hate cleaning the oven Jo which is why I thought a steam cleaner may be the answer.
Welcome Mrs B - you're a bit like my sister who hates pruning anything as she says its cruel!
Trimming with scissors seems to be a plan Art Mama
I would leave them too, the effort to thin is not worth the bother imho. My blog is back up and running for 2011 by the way!
ReplyDeletewww.furnacelane.blogspot.com
Hi Jome,
ReplyDeleteI'll pop over and pay a visit.
I would thin them to one plant per cell, or do what Robin suggested. Sometimes I hesitate too long to thin - hate to throw anything away, especially if I've propagated myself - and later regret it. Now why did you have to bring up the subject of oven cleaning!
ReplyDeleteBecause barbara our ioven is in desperate need.
ReplyDelete