Harvesting Lettuce Seed

DoubleDogFarm · Mon Sep 19, 2011 10:36 pm

So this is my first serious attempt at saving lettuce seed.

I'm harvesting seed from Speckles ( OP) a butterhead variety.

This is what the plant looked like before I started.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Lettuce%20seed%20harvest/Lettuceseed002-1.jpg[/img]

I cut the plant off near the ground and rattled it around inside this garbage can.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Lettuce%20seed%20harvest/Lettuceseed003-1.jpg[/img]

This is a handful of seed and fluff.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Lettuce%20seed%20harvest/Lettuceseed005-1.jpg[/img]

So the question are,
Was it the right time to harvest.
How do I separate the seed from the fluff.
What is the recommended drying before storing.
Can I hang the plant to dry and expect anymore seed from it.

Eric

jal_ut · Mon Sep 19, 2011 10:48 pm

Looks like you have a pile of it. I usually just let it go to be tilled in, then next year it comes up volunteer.

You need to thresh it. Just rub it between your hands to knock the fluffies off, then with a gentle breeze, drop it into a large bowl or a box. The breeze blows off the fluff and the heavier seed drops in the box.

You could try letting it dry some more before threshing. Can't hurt anything.

soil · Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:03 pm

You need to thresh it. Just rub it between your hands to knock the fluffies off, then with a gentle breeze, drop it into a large bowl or a box. The breeze blows off the fluff and the heavier seed drops in the box.

You could try letting it dry some more before threshing. Can't hurt anything.

ditto. I save lettuce seed every year. even been doing some small scale breeding. no need to be gentle with the process, the lettuce seed is quite tuff compared to the chaff.

PunkRotten · Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:55 pm

How long does it take for the lettuce to produce seeds??

rainbowgardener · Tue Sep 20, 2011 12:27 am

PunkRotten wrote:How long does it take for the lettuce to produce seeds??

Most of the season. The lettuce has to bolt first, get tall and skinny and put up a flower spike. Then it has to flower and then the flowers have to go to seed. I planted lettuce seed in Mar. and I had new seed from the lettuce plants in Aug.

I didn't save seed, but I cut off some of the seed heads and buried them in the bed they were growing in, hoping they will come back as volunteers.

soil · Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:37 am

How long does it take for the lettuce to produce seeds??

it depends on the variety, the weather, and how early it bolts. ive been harvesting lettuce seed since june for some. but I also have some that are still out there still drying for me to harvest.

gixxerific · Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:43 pm

I"m with James. Rub/thresh the fluff off. But be careful at first even a gentle breeze will take the seed away, the gentle breeze being you blowing on them. Learned the hard way there.

But if you don't want to do that also as James stated just plant the fluff and all it will still grow you will still have to thin it and you don't have to mess with the mess.

DoubleDogFarm · Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:16 pm

Being full of hot air it was no big deal. Then I used a sifter / strainer to remove more fiddly bits.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Lettuce%20seed%20harvest/Lettuceseed007.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Lettuce%20seed%20harvest/Lettuceseed010.jpg[/img]
Not 100% clean. I'll let them dry a little longer, then store in little glass jars.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Lettuce%20seed%20harvest/Lettuceseed009.jpg[/img]

Eric

soil · Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:40 pm

I love how many seeds one lettuce plant gives you. enough to grow lettuce for a village. or just toss lettuce seed everywhere and anywhere and watch them grow wild.

jal_ut · Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:56 pm

Woo Hoo! Nice pile of seed.

applestar · Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:58 pm

I gues I'm REALLY lazy -- what doesn't blow around and self-sow on their own, I just cut off the stalk and then shake/thump around the fence, etc. while walking around the garden.

DoubleDogFarm · Tue Sep 20, 2011 11:35 pm

applestar wrote:I guess I'm REALLY lazy -- what doesn't blow around and self-sow on their own, I just cut off the stalk and then shake/thump around the fence, etc. while walking around the garden.

I think you should use them as streamers on your bicycle and race around the neighborhood.

Does lettuce seed need a length of dormancy before sowing? Could I speed it up in the freezer or refrigerator?

What about cross pollination. I have Red Sails also at the fluff stage.

Eric

soil · Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:42 am

, I just cut off the stalk and then shake/thump around the fence, etc. while walking around the garden

I do the same thing sometimes, also with other greens that went to seed.

Does lettuce seed need a length of dormancy before sowing? Could I speed it up in the freezer or refrigerator?

ive sown mine pretty quick after they set seed, I highly doubt it.

What about cross pollination. I have Red Sails also at the fluff stage.

you wont get much cross pollination unless they are right next to each other, and that means pretty much touching and interlocking blooms. this is how I cross pollinate them on purpose.

DoubleDogFarm · Fri Sep 30, 2011 9:41 pm

This evening I harvested some of the Red Sails (OP) looseleaf lettuce seed.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Lettuce%20seed%20harvest/Lettuceseed011.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Lettuce%20seed%20harvest/Lettuceseed012.jpg[/img]

Wire lid spice bottles. Two Speckles and two Red Sails.

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Lettuce%20seed%20harvest/Lettuceseed015.jpg[/img]

Eric

lakngulf · Fri Sep 30, 2011 9:52 pm

Nice job.