Buy Vegetable Seeds Online
at Tozer Seeds Direct
Green leaf lettuces with a variety of shapes and textures, specifically bred for Baby leaf production.
Disclaimer
The descriptions, advice, suggestions and vegetation cycles below are aimed professional growers and are offered in all good faith, for purely informational purposes.
Fore more information please contact us on 01932 862059 or email info@tozerseeds.com
Soils should be workable to a fine tilth, as the continuous drilling/harvesting programme requires soils which are easily workable in most weathers. Generally seeds are direct drilled into preformed beds with a width of 1.5-1.8m. Most growers will use a stale seedbed technique, whereby weed seeds within the bed are allowed to germinate and then removed before the crop is drilled, thereby reducing the weed pressure during crop growth.
Most large growers will use a precision seeder or a spider drill which use rotating sponges in a hopper to separate and meter out seed according to a ground seed radar sensor. If production is on a smaller scale then a 6 Row Seeder may be the preferred option.
Achieving the correct drilling density is important for several reasons: disease pressure, poor leaf strength and lack of uniformity. Generally growers will look to produce about 700 plants per metre on a 1.5 metre bed (this equates to approximately 5-7 million/acre). Drilling depths are also critical and average about 10mm for most crops.
Baby leaf crops are fast growing so may require additional nitrogen; however excessive nitrogen can lead to soft leaves.
Irrigation is essential for a healthy baby leaf crop, drip irrigation, impact sprinklers and booms are all used. It is often undertaken before and immediately after drilling to ensure a fast seed germination. After emergence irrigation should be reduced to encourage root growth, ideally it should be undertaken in the morning so that the crop is able to ‘dry out’ during the day. Irrigation should not be carried out close to harvest.
Excessive irrigation should be avoided as fungal diseases in particular thrive in dense moist crops. Some crops such as mustards will readily ‘volunteer,’ these volunteers may harbour disease and should be removed. As part of good cultural practice trash should be removed from the production area If good cultural practices are maintained then the use of chemicals can be minimised. If chemicals are used then they must have short harvest intervals as the growing time of crops may be as short as 25 days.
Crop covers can exclude insects from the crop canopy and thus help reduce predation and disease.
Ideally harvesting is carried out in the late afternoon. A greens harvester is often the ideal way of harvesting on a limited scale. Larger growers use tractor mounted, and self propelled harvesters. Generally these will incorporate a rotating blade lubricated with an anti-oxidant to reduce browning. Typical harvest weights would be:
Chard 1kg/metre
Lettuce 500g/metre
Products should be chilled as soon as possible after harvest.
A tough leaf will wash and pack better than a soft leaf, so leaf thickness is an important factor for processing. Slower growing varieties tend to be tougher than faster growing ones. Darker leaves will hide bruising better than light coloured leaves. Savoyed leaves will process better than flat leaves.
