Lettuce in the ground
How to Plant, Protect and Harvest Lettuce ~ Homestead and Chill
Let’s talk growing lettuce! While it’s not necessarily the most thrilling crop of them all, I think lettuce deserves a spot in every garden. It’s fast and easy to grow, has fairly low disease and pest pressure, and who doesn’t love a fresh, crisp homegrown salad? Plus, there are so many beautiful and unique lettuce varieties to grow beyond what you see at the store. So, follow these tips and learn how to grow lettuce successfully.
This guide will cover the ideal temperatures to grow lettuce, how to start lettuce from seed, different varieties, plant spacing, along with sun, soil, water, and fertilizer needs. We’ll also explore ways to protect lettuce from heat or frost to prolong your growing season, as well as the best ways to harvest and store lettuce to make it last!
What’s the best time of year to grow lettuce?
Like most leafy greens, lettuce grows best during spring or fall in most climates. This cool-season crop thrives when temperatures are in the 50s and 60s (F), though some heat-tolerant varieties will also grow well in the low to mid 70’s too. In places with mild winters, you can grow lettuce right through the winter. Find the best time to start lettuce seeds or plant seedlings in your area with our handy planting calendars – they’re available for every zone!
Will lettuce survive in heat?
Lettuce can tolerate a few warm days here and there (in the 80’s) especially if it cools down at night. But an extreme heat event or prolonged temperatures over 75-80°F will make lettuce “bolt” – or go to flower then seed rather than growing new leaves. The existing leaves will also become increasingly tough and bitter. So, if your lettuce starts to bolt, it will taste best if you harvest it sooner than later! Some lettuce varieties are more forgiving and slow-to-bolt than others.
Pro tip: To extend the lifespan and quality of plants, use shade cloth to keep lettuce cool during warm conditions.
Sheltering lettuce with shade cloth during a few unusually hot spring days. (Shade cloth usually comes in black, we just happened to have some old white sheets too.)A couple months after planting and several mini heat waves later, most of our heat-tolerant lettuce was doing fine – except the Black Seeded Simpson, which was the first to bolt or go to seed.Is lettuce frost hardy?
Yes, mature lettuce plants will survive light frosts – and even a hard freeze or two! However, the harder the frost, the more leaf damage will occur. Frost-damaged lettuce leaves appear thin, dark or discolored, and wilted. They aren’t great to eat, though your chickens or worm bin will like them! Cold temperatures regularly below 45-50°F also makes lettuce grow more slowly.
Therefore, plan to protect lettuce from frost when possible, especially tender young seedlings.
One option is to shelter them with hoops and frost cover. Cut off frost-damaged leaves to make way for fresh healthy regrowth.
How much sun does lettuce need? Can lettuce grow in shade?
Lettuce grows best when it receives full sun, or at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sun per day. However, most varieties of lettuce will tolerate partial shade (4 to 6 hours of sun) and may even benefit from afternoon shade during warm weather.
How long does lettuce take to grow?
Lettuce grows very quickly, making it an ideal crop for short growing seasons, as a filler crop between others, or for succession planting many rounds of lettuce over a longer growing season. Most lettuce varieties form mature heads in less than 60 days after planting seed, though you can start harvesting young leaves far sooner – in 30 days or less.
Lettuce varieties
Romaine, iceberg, redleaf, bibb, buttercrunch, salanova… There are dozens (if not hundreds) of different types of lettuce to grow! Grow lettuce varieties that you like to eat, but also read descriptions to find varieties well-suited to your climate and growing preferences. For instance, we always seek out heat tolerant or bolt-resistant lettuce varieties to help offset our unpredictable springs and warm fall weather.
Personally, I like lettuce with a fairly open head structure to accommodate cut-and-come-again or perpetual harvesting (explained more in the “harvest” section below). It’s also fun to grow a few different colors! Some of our favorite lettuce varieties include Coastal Star, Nevada, Freckles, Magenta, Red Mist and Muir – all of which are heat tolerant lettuce varieties.
Growing lettuce from seed will give you the most options, though your local nursery should carry several different types to choose from too.
How to grow lettuce from seed
Here are some tips for starting lettuce from seed. If you’re growing lettuce from nursery seedlings instead, skip ahead!
- You can sow lettuce seeds directly outside in your garden, or start seeds indoors and transplant seedlings outside a few weeks after they sprout. I personally like to start lettuce inside so birds and insects can’t go after the tiny vulnerable sprouts.
- Lettuce seeds need light to germinate, so you’ll need to have them under bright light if you’re starting indoors! A sunny window will do in a pinch, though the seedlings may become leggy. I always recommend using a grow light for the best results when starting seeds indoors.
- Lettuce seeds also prefer slightly cooler soil than most other seeds. The ideal soil temperature for lettuce to sprout is 60-75°F, though they’ll sprout in temperatures as low as 40°F (albeit slower).
On the other hand, lettuce seeds will actually go dormant at high temperatures (over 85°F+). So, do NOT use a seedling heat mat for lettuce unless you’re starting seeds in an exceptionally cold spot!
- Sow lettuce seeds on the surface of the soil (lightly pressed in) or gently covered with no more than ¼” of light fluffy soil. Remember, they need light to sprout!
- Outdoors, sow and/or thin lettuce following the spacing recommendations below.
- Keep the seeds and top of the soil moist (not soggy) to encourage germination, and then switch to bottom-watering indoor seedlings once they’ve sprouted.
- Once the lettuce seedlings grow their first set of true leaves, thin them down to just one seedling per cell. I recommend trimming out excess seedlings rather than plucking them out.
- Thereafter, follow other common seed-starting best practices, including hardening off indoor-raised seedlings to prevent transplant shock.
Related guides: Seed Starting 101, How to Thin Seedlings, Fertilizing Seedlings, Grow Lights 101, Hardening Off, and Transplanting Best Practices
How far to space lettuce plants
Lettuce spacing varies depending on the type of lettuce and intended use or size. Most lettuce varieties need at least 6 inches of space between each plant (center to center) to form full heads. Varieties that produce larger heads may prefer up to 8 inches of space, such as romaine or butterhead. Smaller loose leaf lettuces can be planted as close as 4 inches apart, while those intended to be used for baby greens are often scattered or sown in a single dense patch with very little space between plants.
Good spacing is essential for lettuce to thrive and to grow nice dense heads. Crowded plants are in competition for nutrients, airflow, root space and water, and can lead to spindly growth. This applies to lettuce growing in the garden as well as indoor lettuce seedlings – which is why I always recommend thinning seedlings early on! Overcrowded plants are also more prone to disease and pests.
Soil, water and fertilizer for lettuce
Lettuce grows best in soil that is well-draining, loose, and moderately rich in organic matter, such as potting soil or native soil that has been amended with compost and/or worm castings. Lettuce also likes regular water (at least twice per week) and consistently damp (not soggy) soil.
We installed automated drip irrigation in all our raised beds. We and the plants both love it!
Lettuce plants have a shallow root systems, so be sure to mulch around them! Mulch will prevent the top few inches of soil from drying out, and also buffer the plant roots from temperature swings.
Lettuce needs adequate nitrogen to support lush leafy growth, so consider adding a gentle slow-release organic fertilizer to the soil prior to planting. Or, apply dilute liquid seaweed, alfalfa tea, compost tea, or fish emulsion after planting/during the growing season.
Can I grow lettuce in pots?
Yes, lettuce is a fantastic crop for container gardens! With its small stature and shallow root system, lettuce grows very well in pots – including grow bags, wine barrels, plastic pots or terracotta. You can even grow lettuce indoors in pots under grow lights or in a bright sunny windowsill! Choose a container that is at least 6 to 8 inches deep and has adequate drainage holes in the bottom.
Wider containers may give you enough space to grow a few lettuce plants per pot.
Potential lettuce pests
The most common lettuce pests include slugs, snails, pillbugs, caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, and aphids. However, I find lettuce attracts far fewer insects than kale and other leafy greens! Birds, rabbits, deer, squirrels, and other rodents may also be tempted to nibble on your lettuce. If needed, shielding lettuce with hoops and floating row cover (e.g. insect netting) or individual cloches can be effective at protecting the plants from a variety of pests – especially vulnerable young seedlings. See more options for plant covers here.
Related pest control guides: aphids, caterpillars, slugs and snails
How to harvest lettuce
You can harvest lettuce at any stage, and any way you see fit! Pluck individual small leaves when the plants are still young to enjoy as baby leaf lettuce. If you do that, always make sure to leave several leaves behind to continue to photosynthesize and grow, and never cut the very centermost leaves.
Or, you can wait until the plant matures and harvest a full head of lettuce at once. In that case, I suggest cutting it out at the base rather than pulling out the roots. Some varieties will grow back!
I love to use the cut and come again method to harvest lettuce. Rather than harvesting the entire head, we cut or gently pull off a few of the outermost or oldest leaves from each head as needed (every few days to once per week). That way, we can harvest lettuce from the same plants for many many months. This is also a great way to get a lot of lettuce from just a handful of plants!
The “cut and come again” method of harvesting lettuce: routinely remove a few of the lower, outermost leaves from each plant for a prolonged harvest.The best way to store lettuce
The best way to store fresh lettuce is in the refrigerator in an airtight container, such as a large food storage “tupperware” or glass container with a lid, or in a sealed plastic bag.
Add a tiny splash of water inside to help keep things moist. In my experience, lettuce stays good and crisp for over a week this way!
For the best results, harvest homegrown lettuce when the plants are perky and it’s cool outside (such as first thing in the morning or late evening) and then get it into the refrigerator as quickly as possible to prevent wilting.
And that’s how to grow lettuce.
I hope you feel excited and empowered to grow some gorgeous lettuce of your own now. When we first began gardening, lettuce wasn’t on the top of our priority list for some reason. Now, I can’t imagine our cool season garden without it! Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below. If you found this information to be useful, please consider pinning or sharing this post.
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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:
- Looseleaf – Looseleaf lettuce is among the easiest to grow. It’s also super speedy, forming large loose heads in just five to six weeks.
- Oakleaf – I grow oakleaf lettuces as a leaf lettuce, harvesting often from the plants as they grow. If left to mature, they will eventually form full-sized heads.
The leaves are lobed like oak leaves, and can be green or red, depending on the variety. - Romaine – An essential ingredient in Caesar salad, romaine lettuce plants form tight, upright heads of crisp leaves.
- Butterhead – Butterhead lettuce, also known as Boston or Bibb, forms lovely loose heads of tender crisp leaves. There are heat tolerant varieties of butterhead that can be grown in summer, as well as cold tolerant varieties for winter harvesting.
- Iceberg – Iceberg, or crisphead lettuce has a reputation for being hard to grow but I’ve had no problem growing it in my raised beds.
- Summer crisp – Initially summer crisp, or Batavia type lettuces look a lot like looseleaf varieties. But as they mature, they form beautiful rounded heads. There are many heat-tolerant varieties well suited to summer growing.
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.
How to plant lettuce seeds
There are two ways to plant lettuce seeds:
- Direct sow seeds in the garden or containers.
- 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.
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:
- Harvest as a baby green by picking individual young leaves or harvesting the entire immature plant.
- Selectively harvest outer leaves from looseleaf or heading varieties as the plants grow.
- Harvest the entire head by slicing it off about an inch above the soil.
For more information on growing greens, be sure to check out these awesome articles:
- How to start a new vegetable garden FAST!
- Grow your own salad garden
- Learn how to winter sow lettuce seeds
- Growing greens in a lettuce table
- 8 salad greens to grow that aren’t lettuce
- Red lettuce varieties to grow
Do you have any more questions about how to plant lettuce?
How to grow leaf lettuce on a windowsill and garden bed
May 13, 2022 Likbez Adviсe
Follow the instructions and you will no longer have to buy greens in stores.
Where you can grow lettuce
Leaf lettuce thrives in garden beds.
In open ground, you can plant both seeds and seedlings grown at home or bought in a store.
If you don't have a dacha or your own plot near the house, lettuce will perfectly fit in a container on the windowsill. You can grow greens from seeds or try rooting a bunch in a pot from the vegetable section.
How to grow lettuce from seed outdoors
The easiest option is to plant leaf lettuce seeds directly in the ground. So you do not have to mess with seedlings, and the result will be no worse, although a little later. It will be possible to harvest in 25-35 days.
It is better to choose a sunny place, without shading. Well, if last year legumes, tomatoes, cucumbers or potatoes grew there. Thanks to crop rotation - the so-called alternation of plants - the risk of damage by pests and diseases will decrease, the harvest will be better. But sowing lettuce in the same bed for two years in a row is not worth it.
When to plant lettuce outdoors
Early varieties can be planted as early as April-May, while mid-season and late varieties can be planted from April to mid-June.
When planting early, the main thing is to wait until the ground warms up enough and warm weather sets in without frost.
Lettuce can be re-sown periodically, removing old plants by the roots. So you can get a crop all summer.
How to grow lettuce outdoors
Dig up the soil 1-2 days before you sow the seeds. Make parallel grooves about a centimeter deep or slightly less at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other.
Sow the seeds at about 5 cm intervals, lightly cover with soil and water. If it is cool outside, the beds can be covered with a film until shoots appear.
When the greenery shows through, it can be thinned out if the planting is too dense.
Too dense plantings can be thinned out to give the plants enough room to grow and develop / Photo: tanitost / ShutterstockHow to care for lettuce
Weeding, watering and loosening are the main points in care. On hot spring and summer days, you need to moisten the beds with lettuce every 1-2 days.
In cloudy, rainy and cool weather, the intervals can be increased. The main thing is not to let the soil dry out completely. It is better to water in the morning or in the evening, and not during the most sunny hours. Moreover, it is desirable to use a watering can so that moisture gets on the leaves of the plant. After watering, gently loosen the topsoil.
Feeding and special fertilizers can be dispensed with during growth. It is enough to bring mullein or bird droppings into the ground in the fall, and start planting in the spring. Don't worry if you don't have time to prepare in advance. In fertile and not depleted soil, lettuce will feel good anyway.
Remove weeds as soon as they appear so that they do not interfere with the normal growth and development of plants.
How to grow lettuce from seedlings outdoors
Growing lettuce seedlings makes sense if you want to get the first harvest as soon as possible. Small plants planted in open ground will grow leaves quite quickly, and it will be possible to start collecting them in one and a half to two weeks.
When to plant lettuce seedlings
The best time to plant seedlings is March or early April. If you missed the deadline, do not worry: you can buy young plants for planting in the ground even at the beginning of summer.
How to grow lettuce seedlings
It is better to plant lettuce seedlings in peat pots or separate cups - one seed in each. So it will be easier for you to move the plant to a permanent place without damaging it.
Planting lettuce seeds in separate cassettes or pots makes it easier to transplant them without damaging the roots / Photo: Alexander Raths / ShutterstockIf you want to plant lettuce in a common box or container, make grooves in the soil 1 cm deep and at a distance of about 5 cm from each other. Sow the seeds at a distance of about 10 cm. A denser planting will have to be thinned out over time.
Cover the sown seeds with a thin layer of soil and moisten with a spray bottle. Cover with foil and leave for a few days until shoots appear.
Do not forget to remove the film every day and air it for at least half an hour, and when the sprouts are visible, remove the cover.
Soil suitable for universal or special seedlings. Feeds are not needed.
When to transplant lettuce outdoors
After about 3 weeks or less, when the plants are strong enough, they can be planted in a greenhouse or outdoors. At the same time, you need to wait until the earth warms up enough, and the threat of frost recedes.
How to care for lettuce
Caring for lettuce planted outdoors as seedlings is no different from caring for lettuce sown directly in the beds. Depending on the weather, plants should be watered from a watering can in the morning or evening every 1-2 days or less. Also, do not forget to loosen the soil and remove weeds.
How to grow lettuce from seeds on a windowsill
Leaf lettuce is a great option for an apartment garden. It is very easy to take care of, and you can harvest the first harvest in about 25 days.
It is worth paying attention to early-ripening varieties that feel fine in low light.
No special conditions are needed, although some points are better to take into account. Ideally, if the windows face east or west and are not too shaded by trees. It will be too hot on southern plants, and there will be little light on northern plants.
In autumn and winter, when daylight hours are short, special lamps will have to be used. Without them, the plants will be frail and will not please with abundant greenery.
In late spring, summer and warm autumn, lettuce will feel great on a balcony or loggia / Photo: Ashley‑Belle Burns / ShutterstockRoom temperature is fine. But keep in mind that with constant strong heat, the lettuce will quickly release arrows and begin to bloom, and the leaves will be bitter.
For planting, you can take ordinary pots or larger containers, always with drainage holes and trays. The soil is suitable for store, universal or special for vegetable crops.
In addition to it, drainage is needed. It can be expanded clay, broken bricks, small shards of raw clay pots, pebbles, gravel and even foam.
When to plant lettuce on the windowsill
There are no strict time limits when growing indoors. Seeds can be sown at any time of the year.
How to plant lettuce seeds
Place a layer of drainage on the bottom of the container. Spread the soil on top, retreating from the edge of about 0.5 cm. Slightly moisten the ground with a spray bottle, but do not create a swamp.
Sow the seeds not too thick and cover with a layer of soil no thicker than 5 mm. If you do not want to thin out crops, place the seeds in the ground at a distance of at least 5 cm.
Cover the container with film or glass and leave in a warm, shady place.
How to care for lettuce on the windowsill
Air the plantings every day for at least half an hour before germination to prevent mold.
After 4-5 days, when the first shoots emerge from the soil, remove the film or glass.
Rearrange the container with plants on the windowsill or loggia. After a week, thin out your plantings so that the distance between plants is approximately 1.5–2 cm. When 2–3 true leaves appear, repeat the procedure again. This time, leave a distance of about 5 cm. You can plant the plants that you have to pull out in a separate bowl.
Rotate the container of lettuce every few days. So it will develop evenly and will not turn out to be one-sided due to the fact that one side will be constantly in the sun, and the other will not.
Don't forget to water. It is needed on average every other day, although it all depends on the conditions. For example, in a warm room or on the southern windowsills on hot days, the earth will dry faster. Therefore, do not leave the salad unattended. At first, while the plants are very small and fragile, it is advisable to combine watering with spraying. Although after, especially in rooms with dry air, this procedure will benefit. In any case, it is better to use water at room temperature or a little warmer, always separated.
Top dressing is not needed if you immediately take high-quality store soil.
How to grow lettuce from a grocery store on a windowsill
The vegetable department often sells lettuce in pots. Due to the fact that plants have a root system, they stay fresh longer and store better. And after cutting the greenery, the plants can be planted and re-harvested from them.
Another crop can be harvested from store-bought lettuce in a pot / Photo: ArtSvetlana / ShutterstockWhen to plant a lettuce in a pot
You can give a plant a second life at any time of the year, the main thing is to create the right conditions.
How to plant lettuce in a pot
Cut off all lettuce leaves 1-2 cm from the ground. Carefully separate the pot. It is quite thin and brittle, so it can be cut with a sharp knife or scissors.
Place the roots in a bowl of settled water at room temperature.
When the new leaves are 4-5 cm long, plant the lettuce in a pot or container with an all purpose store soil.
How to care for lettuce in a pot
No problem. Just water the salad about every other day and spray frequently. No need to feed. This is enough to harvest another new crop.
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- Windowsill garden: how to grow vegetables, herbs and even strawberries at home
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- How to grow green onions on a windowsill
Growing leaf lettuce, head lettuce, romaine: seedlings and outdoors
The birthplace of lettuce is the Mediterranean. It was grown by the ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans. In Europe, since the 14th century, lettuce has been cultivated in protected ground and served at the royal table in winter. Currently, various forms of lettuce are common in Europe and the United States. In Russia, lettuce is very popular and is grown both in open and protected ground.
Currently, the lettuce is represented by four main varieties: asparagus lettuce, leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce and head lettuce.
Lettuce is an annual plant, first a rosette of basal leaves grows, and then a peduncle. The leaves may form a head. The color of the leaf depends on the variety and can be from dark green to pale yellow.
Lettuce is a cold-resistant plant, the seeds germinate at a temperature of +5 degrees and sprout in a week. Young shoots tolerate frosts down to -5. Lettuce loves light and moisture. In hot weather, flower stalks quickly form and the bitterness of the leaves increases. Head lettuce forms dense heads when the difference between day and night temperatures is less than 8 degrees. The plant prefers loose soils with a neutral reaction of the environment and is very picky about the mineral composition of the soil.
For planting lettuce, choose a plot of land with a southern slope. Lettuce seeds are very small, so the soil is prepared with great care, digging in autumn and spring to a depth of 20 cm.
In spring, when preparing the soil, mineral fertilizers are applied at the rate of 30 g per square meter. Leaf lettuce is grown outdoors (or at home on a windowsill). Other varieties are more appropriate to grow through seedlings.
To speed up germination, lettuce seeds are soaked for two to four days, and then dried. Lettuce can be planted every two weeks from mid-spring to mid-summer. You can also sow before winter, shortly before the onset of cold weather.
In the spring, lettuce is sown very early, immediately after the soil has thawed. Ridges are usually used, with rows of 20 cm for leaf varieties and up to 40 cm for head varieties. Seeds are buried to a depth of 1.5 cm. Seedlings appear in spring in two weeks, and in summer in less than a week. To accelerate growth in open ground, crops are covered with a film.
Growing lettuce seedlings
Seeds are sown in pots with a diameter of 5 cm three weeks before planting in the ground. The soil mixture is prepared from peat, sand, sawdust, lime and mineral fertilizers at the rate of 60-70 g per 10 kg of the mixture.
The relative humidity of the soil should be around 70%. A week before planting in the ground, seedlings are hardened off, lowering the temperature and reducing watering. Seedlings should have 5-6 leaves. Seedlings of head lettuce are planted in the ground after the end of frost, usually in late spring, in ridges at a distance of 30-40 cm between plants. Asparagus lettuce seedlings are planted in 40 cm increments and watered daily until established.
Lettuce care
Lettuce care consists of loosening, weeding and watering. Lettuce grown from seeds is thinned twice, leaving first 5-7 and then 20-30 cm between plants. Water the salad as needed, avoiding water on the leaves.
lettuce harvester
Leaf lettuce is harvested about a month after germination. Full cleaning is done when 8-9 leaves are formed in the outlet. Overexposure of the plant in the ground leads to the accumulation of bitterness in the leaves. In head varieties, ripeness occurs in 1.5-2.
