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Best time to plant lettuce


A Guide to Growing & Harvesting Lettuce

Are you ready to learn how to plant lettuce? This popular salad green is one of the easiest crops to grow in garden beds and containers and is ideal for spring and autumn harvesting. Plus, it’s a speedy crop with baby greens ready to pick around a month from seeding and full heads in two months or less.

In our family, we eat a lot of salads and if you’re buying lettuce at the supermarket, the cost quickly adds up. Growing your own lettuce is an easy way to save on grocery bills and enjoy months of homegrown organic greens. 

Lettuce is a cool season vegetable that thrives in the spring or fall garden.

Types of lettuce

There are many types of lettuce you can plant. I’m a big fan of leaf lettuce because it grows so quickly and you can harvest from each plant for weeks, but there are a lot of varieties available in seed catalogs and on seed racks:

There are many different types of lettuce to grow. I love looseleaf, romaine and butterhead varieties and enjoy all the various leaf colors and textures.

Growing a lettuce garden 

Lettuce is a cool weather crop and is best grown in spring and fall. The seeds germinate in temperatures as low as 40 F (4 C) but its ideal germination and growing temperature is between 60 and 65 F (16 to 18 C). 

To grow great lettuce, find a site that offers at least six to eight hours of direct sun. It is possible to grow lettuce in partial shade (three to four hours of sun), but in low light I would suggest planting looseleaf varieties which grow faster than heading types. Once you’ve picked your spot, prepare the bed for planting by digging in an inch or two of compost or aged manure. If you like, you can also dig in a slow release organic fertilizer at this time.  

Lettuce also makes a fantastic container plant. It produces a shallow root system and can be grown in this cool Vegtrug 8 pocket herb garden, window-boxes, pots, fabric planters, baskets, or any container that is at least four to six inches deep and has drainage holes. 

To get a jump start on the lettuce harvest, I cover my early spring garden beds with fabric or plastic covered mini tunnels. These capture solar energy and protect from cool temperatures and frost.

Lettuce is shallow rooted and can be grown in containers just four to six inches deep.

How to plant lettuce seeds 

There are two ways to plant lettuce seeds: 

  1. Direct sow seeds in the garden or containers.
  2. Transplant lettuce seedlings that were started indoors under grow lights or purchased from a garden centre.

Direct sowing lettuce seeds

When direct seeding heading types of lettuce in rows, space the seeds two inches apart with rows twelve to eighteen inches apart, depending on the variety. Don’t sow the seeds too deeply as they need light to germinate. Cover them with a thin layer of soil. Once the seedlings are growing well, thin to ten to twelve inches.

For a crop of baby lettuce, I like to sow the seeds in bands. You can make narrow bands that are just three to four inches across or wider bands to fit your space. I often sow twelve to eighteen inch wide bands of baby lettuces in my raised beds, trying to space the seeds about two inches apart. You can grow a single variety this way or buy a packet of gourmet mixed lettuces. 

Lettuce can be direct seeded or transplanted into a garden.

Transplanting lettuce

When transplanting lettuce into my garden beds or containers, I typically plant in a grid pattern, spacing each seedling about ten inches apart. This is where you can have a bit of fun if you’re growing multicolored varieties like Salanova Home & Garden Mix. You can stagger the colors to create a checkerboard pattern. 

If transplanting in rows, space seedlings ten to twelve inches apart and rows twelve to eighteen inches apart, depending on the mature size of the variety. Check your seed packet for specific spacing instructions. 

How to plant romaine lettuce

Romaine lettuce is one of the most popular types of lettuce and is very easy to grow. You can grow it as a baby crop and harvest the young leaves for weeks or you can allow the plants to mature to full-sized heads. For the best-tasting romaine lettuce give the plants consistent moisture, plenty of sunlight and cool temperatures. 

Because my garden is a slug haven, I find it helpful to start seeds for romaine lettuce indoors and move the seedlings out to my raised beds a week or two before the last expected spring frost. For full sized heads of romaine lettuce, space them ten inches apart. 

I often use wire mini hoops covered in fabric or plastic to protect my lettuce from frost, bad weather or pests.

Succession planting lettuce

Wondering how to plant lettuce so that you can have a very long season of harvest? The secret is succession planting! Succession planting is simply planting seeds at different times. I like to plant small amounts of lettuce seed at any one time so that we have enough for our family, but not so much that I can’t keep up with the harvest. 

The successive crops come from the additional lettuce seeds I sow every two to three weeks from mid-spring to early summer. Seeding lettuce over the course of spring or autumn results in a non-stop crop of high quality greens.   

How far apart to plant lettuce 

Once your lettuce seedlings are growing well, you can thin them to allow enough room that they mature into good-sized heads. You’ll find specific variety spacing listed on the seed packet, but generally a spacing of ten to twelve inches is best.

For heads of baby lettuce, you can space the plants a bit closer, at six to eight inches. This technique works well for romaine lettuce which then forms compact heads just six to eight inches tall. 

When transplanting lettuce seedlings into my garden beds, I like to space them ten inches apart for full-sized heads. If I’m growing a band of baby greens, I’ll sow the seeds just a few inches apart.

How to grow a lettuce plant 

Now that you know how to plant lettuce, it’s time to learn a few key growing techniques. The key to a high quality crop of tender, mild-tasting lettuce is consistent moisture. If lettuce plants are heat or drought stressed, the leaves turn bitter and the plants will bolt. Bolting is when the plants switch from leaf production to flower production and a flower stalk emerges. Read more about bolting here. 

I live in a northern climate where spring often takes a few steps backwards and temperatures dip below freezing. Keep row covers handy to protect from frost or unexpected cold temperatures. They can be placed directly over the lettuce plants or floated above on hoops. You can also buy handy fleece tunnels online or at garden centres.

If your spring weather turns from warm to hot quicker than expected, keep lengths of shade cloth handy so that you can create a shady spot. It’s easy to make hoops from half inch PVC conduit, metal wire, or other materials. Lay a piece of 40% shadecloth on top of the hoops, securing it with clips. Shadecloth reduces the heat and light around your lettuce plants and can delay bolting by a week or two. 

If you’ve worked organic matter and a slow-release organic fertilizer into the soil before planting, there’s no need to further fertilize your fast-growing lettuce plants. 

When the spring weather turns warm, I often erect a shade cloth tunnel overtop my lettuce bed. This cools and shades the plants, delaying bolting.

Lettuce pests

In my garden, the biggest threats to my lettuce plants are deer and slugs. To deal with deer, check out this excellent article by Jessica. She also wrote this detailed article on slugs. I find diatomaceous earth effective on slugs. Reapply after rain. You can also use chicken wire or willow cloches to keep animals like deer or rabbits away from lettuce. Or, erect a mini hoop tunnel over your bed and cover with bird netting, chicken wire, or an insect barrier fabric.  

Aphids are another common lettuce pest. Aphids are tiny, soft bodied insects that suck the juices from the leaves, causing curling or distortion. Because lettuce grows so quickly, a modest infestation isn’t usually a big problem. I just give the leaves a quick wash before we make a salad. If there are a lot of aphids on your lettuce plants, you can spray with an organic soapy water spray to kill the insects and their eggs. This may require a few applications. 

How to harvest lettuce plants

Once you’ve got a nice crop of lettuce coming along in your garden, how do you know when it’s time to harvest? There are several ways to enjoy your lettuce:

  1. Harvest as a baby green by picking individual young leaves or harvesting the entire immature plant.
  2. Selectively harvest outer leaves from looseleaf or heading varieties as the plants grow.
  3. Harvest the entire head by slicing it off about an inch above the soil.
When harvesting a whole head of lettuce, slice it off just above the soil level.

For more information on growing greens, be sure to check out these awesome articles:

Do you have any more questions about how to plant lettuce? 

How And When To Plant Lettuce

Home › Edible Gardens › Vegetables › Lettuce

Lettuce

By: Laura Miller

Image by lzf

Growing lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is an easy and inexpensive way to put fresh gourmet salad greens on the table. As a cool-season crop, lettuce grows well with the cool, moist weather available in spring and fall. In cooler climates, the lettuce growing season can also be extended year-round using an indoor hydroponic system.

When to Plant Lettuce

The lettuce growing season begins in early spring and extends through fall for northern U. S. climates. In warmer areas, such as southern Florida, lettuce can also be grown outdoors throughout the winter. Increasing daylight hours and hot temperatures stimulates lettuce to bolt, which makes growing lettuce more challenging during the summer months.

As a cool-season crop, lettuce can be direct-seeded into the garden as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. If the ground is still frozen, wait until it thaws. Lettuce can also be started or grown indoors. Try succession planting and growing varieties of lettuce with differing maturity times to harvest lettuce plants throughout the growing season.

How to Grow Lettuce

Lettuce prefers moist, cool conditions, and you don’t even have to worry about chilly weather because the seedlings can tolerate a light frost. In fact, these plants grow best when temperatures are between 45 and 65 F. (7-18 C.).

Lettuce tastes more flavorful and the leaves remain tender when it grows quickly. Prior to planting, work organic compost or high nitrogen fertilizer into the garden soil to encourage rapid leaf growth. Lettuce prefers a soil pH between 6.2 and 6.8.

Due to its small seed size, it’s better to sprinkle lettuce seed on top of fine soil, then cover lightly with a thin layer of dirt. A small hand held seeder or seed tape can also be used for proper spacing of plants. Avoid planting too deeply, as lettuce requires sunlight to germinate.

To avoid dislodging newly planted seed, water by gently misting the area with a fine spray until the soil is moist. When direct-seeding into the garden, consider using a plastic row cover, cold frame or scrap window pane to protect the seed from being washed away by heavy rains. For optimal growth, lettuce requires 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm.) of rain or supplemental water per week.

Give lettuce plenty of room to mature by spacing plants 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm.) apart. Planting in full sun will generate faster leaf production, but can encourage bolting during hot weather. However, lettuce will actually thrive in a little bit of shade too, making it great for planting between taller crops, like tomatoes or corn, which will provide shade as the season progresses. This also helps save on space in smaller gardens.

Tips for Harvesting Lettuce Plants

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When and how to plant leaf lettuce in the ground, greenhouse and seedlings in 2023, the best varieties and care of lettuce, pests and diseases . There are a lot of trace elements, vitamins C and A, folic acid and especially iron in lettuce leaves. In addition, the use of this green improves digestion, so it is used as a dietary product. Today, almost everyone grows lettuce in their backyards and dachas. This cold-resistant, unpretentious plant can be planted in beds from early spring to mid-summer to have fresh greens all the time.

How to plant lettuce and care for it, we will tell in our article. 9Ol000
  • Growing lettuce in a greenhouse
  • When to plant lettuce outdoors in spring with seeds
  • Rules for planting lettuce in the ground with seeds
  • Outdoor lettuce care
  • Lettuce pests
  • Lettuce diseases

    • Description and best varieties of lettuce


    Since the plant has many species, it is difficult to describe its appearance. On a herbaceous plant, basal leaves first develop, and then a flowering stem, the height of which can be 60-120 cm. Large lettuce leaves can be smooth and corrugated, curly and wrinkled, whole or cut.

    Only fresh leaves are suitable for food, which contain a large amount of minerals and vitamins. As soon as the stem begins to grow, they develop a bitter taste.

    The lettuce plant has four varieties, each of which is represented by many varieties.

    Leaf lettuce

    Only the leaves of this species are eaten, which can have different colors and shapes. Popular varieties of lettuce:

    1. Sandwich - an early maturing variety with wavy light green leaves suitable for salads and sandwiches.
    2. Lollo Rosso - a plant with a rosette of wavy burgundy leaves has a pleasant taste and will decorate the site. The variety is mid-season.
    3. Zabava - mid-season variety has large bright red leaves and resistance to stemming and diseases.
    4. Dubachek - a plant with light green oblong wavy leaves has the peculiarity of growing new leaves instead of cut ones. The variety is mid-season.
    5. Ballet - lettuce is suitable for growing not only in the summer on the site, but also in winter and spring at home and in greenhouses, as it is resistant to lack of light. Its dark green fan-shaped leaves look very beautiful, as they have a scalloped edge.
    6. Riviera - the leaves of this mid-season variety look like oak leaves. The plant is resistant to flowering, good yield and excellent taste.

    Semi-headed lettuce

    The leaves of this species are collected in open heads. The best varieties:

    1. Kucheryavets Gribovsky is a mid-early variety with juicy, tasty and crisp bright green leaves, the edges of which are slightly corrugated. The plant is disease resistant.
    2. Boston - a plant with light green leaves wavy along the edge is a loose semi-head. This variety is popular for its excellent taste and high yield.
    3. Berlin yellow - the variety is distinguished by yellowish leaves and a round rosette weighing up to 200 grams. A plant of average term of maturing.
    4. Eurydice - The dark green and crispy leaves of this lettuce taste great. The compact semi-head has a semi-raised socket. The variety is mid-season.

    Head lettuce

    Cabbage-like plant with very crunchy leaves. The best varieties:

    1. Four seasons - a variety with excellent taste qualities is also interesting for the color of the leaves, which are yellow-green inside and have a bronze-red tint on the outside. You can grow it in greenhouses and on beds in open ground. The variety is mid-season.
    2. Gingerbread man - the plant is a round even head of cabbage, consisting of bluish-green leaves. The variety has a high yield and excellent taste. From germination to maturity - 90 days.
    3. Great Lakes - a variety with a round large head of cabbage and crisp oak-shaped dark green leaves. The plant is resistant to burns and flowering. The variety is late.
    4. Adamant - only 50 days this variety will need to ripen. It has slightly bumpy dark green leaves with a nutty flavor. The plant is resistant to bolting and has a weight of about 350 grams.

    When to plant lettuce in seedlings and in the ground in 2023

    Lettuce seeds can be sown immediately in open ground, and for greenery in early spring, plants are grown through seedlings or in greenhouses.

    According to the Lunar calendar in 2023, favorable days for sowing lettuce seeds are:

    Unfavorable days for sowing and planting:

    Cultivation of lettuce from seeds

    Cultivation of seedlings of lettuce


    Crops for seedlings begin one month before planting in open ground. You can sow seeds at home in seedling containers, or you can grow seedlings in a greenhouse or hotbed:

    1. Soil mixture for sowing seeds can be used ready-made or mixed independently from humus earth, peat and sand (2:1:1).
    2. Seeds before sowing are disinfected for three hours in a pink solution of potassium permanganate.
    3. Seedling boxes, cups or cassette cells are filled with moist soil, in which grooves are made 1 cm deep. The distance between the grooves should be about 5 cm, and between the seeds - about 10 cm. You can sow the seeds more often, then the seedlings will have to dive.
    4. Sprinkle crops with a small layer of soil, water abundantly (preferably with a spray bottle) and cover with polyethylene on top.
    5. Seedling containers are placed in a warm and bright place. Before the emergence of seedlings, the shelter is removed daily to ventilate the soil. The dried topsoil is moistened from the sprayer.

    If the planting material is of good quality, shoots may appear already on the third or fourth day. So that they do not begin to stretch, the seedlings are removed to a well-lit place with a temperature of +15 .. + 18 degrees.

    If the seeds have been planted frequently, when the second true leaf appears on the seedlings, a pick is made. Bushes with 3-4 true leaves are ready for planting in open ground. A week before planting in the garden, seedlings begin to harden off.

    Lettuce seedlings are planted in open ground in warm weather (night frosts down to -2 degrees are allowed). Bushes are planted according to the scheme:

    Seedlings planted in the ground are sprinkled with soil so that the root neck is at ground level. Planted plants are well watered.

    Growing lettuce in a greenhouse

    Since lettuce seeds can germinate at a temperature of +5 degrees, it can be planted and grown in a greenhouse even in winter, provided that the room is heated. However, in the future, the plant needs a temperature of about +20 degrees for growth and development. Therefore, lettuce seeds can be planted in an unheated greenhouse from mid-March to the end of April (depending on the region).

    It is recommended to prepare the soil in a greenhouse for growing lettuce in autumn:

    1. Add 15 grams of potassium chloride and 40 grams of superphosphate for each square meter.
    2. Dig the soil together with fertilizer.
    3. If the soil is acidic, it is recommended to add slaked lime or dolomite flour (the rates depend on the degree of soil acidity). Also, the level of acidity will help to even out rotted manure.

    In spring, the bed should be loosened, leveled and furrowed at a distance of 10 cm from each other.

    Seeds are planted to a depth of 1-2 cm, covered with soil and watered. Since freezing temperatures are not uncommon in early spring, it is recommended to sprinkle the bed with mulch in the form of fine humus.

    When the seedlings sprout and grow a little, they are thinned out so that the distance between the specimens is from 15-20 cm. . Fertilize twice during the growing season. The last top dressing should be done no later than a month before harvest. As a fertilizer, use a solution of 10 liters of water and ammonium nitrate with potassium chloride (half a teaspoon of each drug).

    When to plant lettuce outdoors in spring with seeds


    From mid-April, you can start sowing lettuce outdoors. However, it all depends on the climate of the region. It is necessary to focus on the weather, as night frosts should not fall below -2 degrees. Therefore, in Siberia and colder regions, lettuce in open ground begins to be sown in May.

    Planting can be done every two weeks so that healthy greens can be eaten until late autumn. Mid-season and late varieties are sown until mid-June. Varieties with a short growing season can be planted until mid-August. At the same time, you should know that at +20 degrees lettuce seeds germinate worse than at lower temperatures.

    Rules for planting lettuce in the ground with seeds

    Choose sunny areas with nutritious soil for cultivation. It can be loam, black earth and even sand, but not heavy clay soil. The acidity of the soil should be no more than 7 pH.

    The lettuce bed is dug up in the fall, and one bucket of rotted manure or compost is added for each square meter. Two weeks before planting in the spring, the site is loosened and fertilized. For 1 sq. meter needed:

    Dolomite flour must be added to acidic soil.

    Sowing lettuce seeds in open ground is carried out according to the same scheme as in the greenhouse. When shoots appear en masse, they begin thinning, which is carried out in two stages. As a result, the following distance should be obtained between plants:

    Attention! When choosing a site for planting lettuce, it is important to know that its best predecessors are cucumbers and zucchini, potatoes and cabbage. On one bed, lettuce is best planted with onions, as this culture repels aphids. Also good neighbors are spinach and peas, radish and cabbage, tomato and strawberry, radish. The next year after the salad, it is best to plant tomatoes and peppers.

    Outdoor lettuce care


    Lettuce care includes the following procedures:

    1. Watering. Lettuce at an early stage of development is watered once a week. When heads begin to form, watering is reduced, otherwise parts of the plant may begin to rot. However, the frequency of watering depends on how often it rains. Headed varieties are watered so that water does not fall on the leaves.
    2. Weeding and loosening. Weed grass is removed from the beds as needed, and it is recommended to loosen the soil between rows after each watering.
    3. Lettuce dressing. Leaf varieties growing in nutrient soil do not need fertilizers. In poor soil, it is necessary to apply complex mineral fertilizers, which include magnesium and potassium, calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen. Headed varieties are fed with bird droppings diluted in water (20:1) or mullein (10:1). Solutions are used after watering. And do not forget that a month before the harvest, feeding is stopped.

    Lettuce pests


    Slugs and aphids, cruciferous flea beetles and wireworms most often annoy the tender plant. Since chemicals are absorbed into the leaves, they cannot be used, so it is recommended to use folk remedies:

    1. Leaf holes indicate that the plant is eating cruciferous fleabane . Good preventive measures are weeding and regular watering (the flea does not like moisture). Planting a number of marigolds, calendula, tomatoes, garlic will scare away the pest.
    2. Lettuce aphid feeds on plant sap, the leaves of which begin to darken and curl. This insect will scare away the onions planted nearby. You can get rid of a white-winged insect with the help of an infusion of young potato tops, dandelion leaves or onion husks.
    3. Slugs eat the lower leaves, which result in large holes. Traps are made for these pests: disposable cups are dug in the garden, into which a little syrup, juice or beer is poured. The best remedy for slugs is beer, which is fatal to them. However, pests are very fond of this drink, so if the traps are placed in the evening, in the morning you will see many dead slugs in them.
    4. Wireworm feeds on plant roots. There are many popular ways to destroy these pests, which we wrote about in our article: How to get rid of wireworms in the garden.

    Diseases of lettuce

    Under unfavorable conditions, non-observance of crop rotation and agricultural technology, lettuce is affected by diseases, among which the following are the most dangerous for plants: In part of the plant, the infection penetrates through leaves touching the ground.

  • Gray rot affects plants at high humidity and cloudy weather. The fungus also penetrates through leaves lying on the ground, on which brown necrotic spots appear. Spotting from the bottom of the heads and stems goes to the top and spreads throughout the plant. Lettuces are resistant to gray rot - Maisky, Khrustalny, Moscow greenhouse.
  • Powdery mildew is a disease that can be recognized by a non-cotton-like white coating on leaves, heads and stems.
  • Edge burn - the disease manifests itself and spreads rapidly with an excess of nutrients in the soil. The affected plant quickly dies.
  • Downy mildew infects crops at high humidity. The lower leaves are covered with white bloom, and the upper ones with yellow spots. After a while, diseased leaves turn brown and dry up.

    • Since chemicals cannot be used to treat diseases on lettuce, preventive measures will become protection for plants:

    In the early stages of the disease, affected leaves should be removed immediately. If the whole plant is affected, it is pulled out and burned, and the soil is disinfected.

    Lettuce is recommended to pick in dry weather in the morning or evening. Raw greens and leaves collected in the heat will not be stored. Half-headed and headed salads are harvested after the head is formed, but before the flower arrow appears. During flowering, the taste of greenery deteriorates sharply.

    favorable days for sowing on the windowsill, in the open field and in the greenhouse according to the Lunar calendar

    Lack of vitamins often causes children and adults to feel unwell. Loss of strength, drowsiness, pallor of the skin, brittle nails and hair are only some of the signs that determine the malaise. Avitaminosis often manifests itself from mid-autumn, continuing into winter and spring. In the summer - the use of fresh vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs, restore the daily balance, saturating the body not only with vitamins and minerals, but also with macronutrients. Maintaining health throughout the year, eliminating exhaustion, will help growing on the windowsill at home, in a greenhouse or in the open field, fresh and most importantly - healthy greens. As crops used for cultivation, suitable: green onions, dill, parsley and leaf lettuce. The latter option is especially good because it can be used as one of the ingredients for making fresh salads and light snacks.

    Contents

    Favorable days for sowing lettuce in 2022 according to the lunar calendar, table Head lettuce
    №4 - Roman lettuce
    Recommendations for growing lettuce seedlings at home
    Is it possible to grow lettuce on the windowsill
    Watering frequency
    Feeding
    How to grow lettuce in a greenhouse and outdoors
    Growing lettuce on video

    Lettuce is an unpretentious plant that does not require careful care. Regular watering with fertilizing allows for a short growing season to get juicy, fragrant, tasty and very useful for the body as a whole, leaves. The most important thing is to follow the manufacturer's recommendations, not forgetting the necessary maintenance of active green growth.

    Auspicious days for planting lettuce in 2022 according to the lunar calendar, table

    Prohibited periods for landing and dives:

    The best varieties of lettuce in 2022 according to gardeners and gardeners

    Any variety deserves the attention of summer residents. Depending on the region of cultivation and its climatic features. For example, for planting lettuce in the Krasnodar Territory, the Crimean Peninsula and the Rostov Region, it is better to use varieties that can withstand an abnormally hot climate. The same applies to other regions, which have their own characteristics. The choice in favor of a particular option is given exclusively by the gardener, focusing both on his desires and the reviews of people published on a forum or a group of a social network dedicated to growing crops, and on the characteristics of the region.

    №1 - Lettuce

    Many people prefer the leaf type of lettuce. Greens are often used in the preparation of Greek salad and Caesar. The most popular varieties are:

    1) Emerald - refers to mid-season varieties. Ideal for outdoor, window sill and greenhouse cultivation. Due to the presence of immunity to diseases and pests, it gets along well next door to vegetables. Vegetation is short, not exceeding 8 weeks from the moment the first shoots appear. In weight, it can reach up to 100 g.

    2) Kricet is an early variety grown in open field or greenhouse depending on the region. Resistant to bacterial diseases. Vegetation is reduced to 6 weeks. When ripe, it has a weight of 240 to 270 g, depending on the observance of the rules of care.

    3) Moscow greenhouse - an ultra-ripe variety. It can be grown only in greenhouse conditions, where the temperature is kept at the same level - slight fluctuations during the day and night are acceptable. Readiness for harvesting occurs approximately 4-5 weeks after the germination of sprouts. The advantages of the variety are the juiciness of the leaves and good weight, reaching more than 160 g.

    №2 - Half-headed lettuce

    Many gardeners often compare this kind of lettuce with lettuce. However, the difference, upon careful study of the culture, can be seen in the integrity of the heads. Leaves form open fruits, differing in medium size.

    1) Berlin yellow - as the name implies, it has a yellow tint to the leaves, saturated with juicy juice, rich in vitamins and macronutrients. Belongs to the category of varieties with medium vegetation. The weight of the product ready for collection does not exceed 210 g.

    2) Odessa kucheryavets - is predominantly grown in the southern territories, due to its increased resistance to hot and arid climate. Differs from other varieties in a loose wide rosette and large weight, reaching 220 g with proper care. Differs in good weightiness, has large crunchy leaves, saturated with juice from vitamins and macronutrients. Among the most popular varieties, there are three:

    1) Four seasons - a variety with an average vegetation period. Suitable for cultivation, both in the garden, in open ground conditions, and in a closed greenhouse. Due to the large size, it is not convenient for growing at home. Differs in large and juicy leaves, collected in a small head.

    2) Iceberg - a variety with a long growing season, reaching readiness in 10-12 weeks. He is immune to shooting. It is well stored for a long time, provided that the temperature and humidity levels are observed.

    3) Attraction - a universal option for cultivation in greenhouse conditions and open ground. It has a high rosette that protects against overflows and some pests.

    №4 - Roman salad

    Alternative name - Romaine. It is often used as an analogue for cooking dishes with leaf lettuce. It has a long rosette, wrapped like cabbage, with juicy tender leaves. Commonly used varieties include:

    1) Legend is a newly popular, new hybrid variety marked F1. It is immune to bacterial diseases and some pests. Differs in small heads with a rosette of medium length.

    2) Parisian green is a classic that has been popular for several years. Shows excellent yield, despite the climate in the growing region. Calmly tolerates high humidity, abnormal heat and low air temperature.

    Recommendations for growing lettuce seedlings at home

    To grow strong seedlings and prepare sprouts for planting in open ground, it is worth worrying about sowing seeds in advance, approximately 35-40 days before planting. Lettuce needs several days for germination and four weeks for a set of full-fledged leaves, a set of root systems.

    Step-by-step instructions for sowing seed material, includes the following rules and recommendations that apply to growing at home, as well as greenhouse and open ground:

    and expiration date. Before sowing, the seeds are calibrated, selecting only the largest ones.

    2) The next step is disinfection and soaking for several hours in warm water. Hydrogen peroxide or potassium permanganate is used as an antiseptic.

    3) For planting, use only a nutrient substrate made by oneself or purchased from a garden shop. When choosing plastic or peat cups for separate sowing, sow 2-3 seeds per container.

    4) Before sowing, irrigate with settled water so as not to bury the seeds below the intended level.

    5) Planting is carried out superficially in the grooves, keeping a distance of 5-10 cm. Sprinkle soil on top and irrigate with warm water. The containers are covered with agrofiber or cling film, recreating the effect of a greenhouse.

    6) The crops are sent to a warm shady place until shoots appear on the surface. A few days later, when the sprouts germinate, the containers are moved to the window, using warm rugs or a phyto-lamp if necessary. The optimum temperature of the content is from 17 to 20 degrees Celsius. Watering - as the top layer of the soil dries up. It is important to prevent overflows and overdrying, which adversely affect the condition as a whole.

    7) Picking is only necessary when sowing in a single container. Sprouts after growing 2-3 full-fledged leaves, pry with a fork and transfer with a clod of earth into separate cups, previously filled with earth.

    8) After a month, the seedlings are planted in open ground or in a greenhouse if the air temperature at night does not fall below zero. Most varieties are cold-loving and adversely tolerate even short-term frosts. In order not to destroy the seedlings, it is important to follow a sowing pattern that provides for a distance of 20X20, 30X30, 40X40 &

    Can lettuce be grown on a windowsill?

    Lettuce on the windowsill at any time of the year is a classic that has taken root among most gardeners who have decided to bring a piece of summer into their home. Greens enriched with vitamins, minerals and trace elements can always make up for the lack of nutrients, making any dish tasty and fragrant.

    Growing lettuce at home is allowed throughout the year. For sowing, both individual cups and plastic boxes are used, providing for further picking for seating the grown sprouts.

    During the vegetation of greenery in autumn and winter, it is recommended to use additional lighting in the morning and evening hours, a warm rug that protects against overflows and drafts.

    To get a good harvest, throughout the growing season, you should carefully consider the care, which includes: regular watering, application of complex and mineral fertilizers. To eliminate the wrong mode, it is better to draw up a schedule in compliance with certain intervals. A reminder will allow you to grow a salad, as in the manufacturer's picture.

    Irrigation regularity

    The application of moisture involves moistening the soil twice a week with settled water. In the summer, when abnormal heat is observed, watering is increased up to three times in seven days. In order to prevent the formation of flower arrows, they do not allow the soil to dry out, regardless of the place of detention: house, open field or greenhouse.

    To maintain humidity on the windowsill, install a humidifier, monitoring the performance daily. In the absence of a device, daily irrigate the greens with cool water using a spray bottle.

    Feeding

    Organics, complex mineral fertilizers and individual microelements are used as fertilizers. The choice in favor of the best top dressing, the gardener makes his own. If you do not want to use a chemical composition, you can prefer natural ingredients: nettle infusion, mullein solution or banana skins.

    How to grow lettuce in greenhouses and outdoors?

    The distinguishing factors between outdoor and greenhouse planting are:

    1) Season. In the presence of heating, you can grow lettuce indoors all year round, without worrying about the air temperature.

    2) Pests and diseases. In a greenhouse, any greens are less likely to become infected and die. With timely prevention, planting in the neighborhood of crops that take root well with lettuce, there are no problems.

    3) Harvest. Unlike an open garden, a greenhouse can be harvested year-round, based on the original sowing time.

    Planting, regardless of the chosen place, is carried out in previously prepared soil, disinfected, dug up and spilled with settled water. As fertilizers, urea and superphosphate are used, which stimulate active growth at the beginning of the growing season.

    If the level of acid-base balance is disturbed, wood ash or tobacco ash is used. An analogue is dolomite flour and ground cinnamon. It is better not to use rotted manure for growing lettuce.

    After each watering, it is important not to forget about loosening the soil, which allows oxygenating the plants.

    Thinning is carried out 5-6 days after emergence. Pick - a little later, as soon as the plant picks up 2-3 full leaves.

    When growing seeds for seedlings, it is important to follow a planting pattern that provides for the observance of the distances necessary for the set of full-fledged roots and leaves.

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