Lettuces are unusual in the manner that they complete their cycle and go to seed. They don’t dry down but instead they grow up. They put up a flowering stalk that can reach waist high and as they do so the leaves become shrunken versions of their former selves. The candelabra-like appearance of many cultivars is so attractive that their aesthetic appeal could be taken into consideration when planning your garden. A single lettuce can produce hundreds of small yellow flowers atop its stalk. The flowers become bunches of feathery little seed sites, each flower creating eight to fifteen seeds. The seeds are a miniature version of dandelion seeds, having a tiny parachute perfect for riding the breezes. They are little wedges about an eighth of an inch long and are either white or dark, depending on variety.
Someone wanting to have enough seed for the coming year could simply pluck two or three fuzzy seedheads to easily get a couple of dozen seeds.
The seeds ripen over several weeks and when they start to appear there are many flowers still blooming. If you want a lot, it’s best to wait until a third of the seeds are ready and collect them when conditions are as dry as possible.
After harvest, lettuce seeds are best dried for another day or two. Spread them out on plates, pans, trays or bucket lids in a warm, airy place. The freshly gathered seed usually comes with a little fluff and flower parts. The fluff quickly dries in the presence of heat and any little bugs you may have picked with the seeds will usually disappear in a few hours.
The seed can be rubbed between the fingers to release the fluff. Most of the fluff can be easily blown away if you’re careful not to blow too hard. Sifting it through an appropriate screen can also clean the seed. For the amateur seed saver, it is not crucial for the seeds to be totally clean, just totally dry. It’s wise to have identifying labels accompanying the seeds at each step and to put sticky labels on
their containers.
Lettuce seeds take up little space. It’s easy to find small glass or plastic containers for them. Film canisters and plastic bags also work well.
Lettuce seed is usually collected in September and October. If you want to be a saver of lettuce seed, it’s best to find those cultivars that produce the kind of lettuce you like but also produce seed before the plants are frozen or rained out. In short season growing areas, it might be necessary to start lettuces early indoors. Lettuces rarely cross but it’s best to not allow undomesticated lettuce varieties, such as Wild or Prickly Lettuce, to flower nearby.
If you start saving lettuces you’ll be amazed by the wonderful shapes, textures and colors of the leaves plus all the diverse ways the flowering stalks shoot up.
Lettuce seeds keep a high viability for at least four years.
