Salads are easy to grow. For some varieties it is worth collecting seeds. This is especially true for old and rare varieties that are not available in every garden store. For this to succeed, the plants have to bloom.
How do you harvest lettuce seeds?
To harvest lettuce seeds, allow a few vigorous plants to bloom. After 12 to 24 days of ripening, pick the dry fruit stalks and carefully remove the seeds with tweezers. Store the seeds in a cloth bag to prevent rot.
When lettuce develops fruits
Salads belong to different families and have different growth forms. Many typical varieties form a basal rosette of leaves in the first year. They are biennial and bloom the following season after overwintering. There are also annual species that develop flowers and seeds in the same year they are sown:
- Varieties of lettuce can be annual or biennial
- Lamb lettuce grows as an annual
- Arugula is usually an annual and occasionally a biennial
- Garden salads are annual to two-year-old
When salads shoot
When conditions are suboptimal, many lettuces tend to shoot. They form flowers early and reduce the storage of energy in the leaves. Therefore, biennial species occasionally bloom in their first year. Such plants are suitable for harvesting seeds. However, you run the risk that the offspring will also tend to bloom prematurely.
Winning seeds
Leave a few strong specimens for seed production. Their seeds guarantee high germination. Continue care until flowering. For biennial species, winter protection is necessary so that the rootstocks are protected from cold and winter dryness. Once the flower stems grow, remove dead leaves regularly. Otherwise there is a risk that the flower shoot will rot.
Harvest time
When the seeds are ripe depends on the respective species. For lettuces, the ripening period lasts twelve to 24 days after flowering. Ideally, seeds ripen during a dry season, as the rain easily washes away the tender seeds. Damp weather promotes the spread of mold in the wilting fruit bearers.
Tip
Rub a seed pod between your thumb and forefinger. If this crumbles, the seed is ready to harvest.
Procedure
The best seeds are in the central flowers directly on the main stem. Pick the dry fruit heads from the plants and use tweezers to remove the seeds. Store these in a cloth bag to prevent rot.
