Lettuce is one of the simple and most rewarding crops to develop in your veggie garden . It ’s the most wide grown leafy green vegetable in the US for excellent reasons . In this article , you ’ll take everything you require to know about how to raise lettuce , from planting seeds to savor your first harvest .
Since it ’s so fast - growing and versatile , lettuce is a staring alternative for a wide variety of garden situations . From traditional garden plots to call down beds and terrace pots , growing lettuce is simple-minded and easy .
All you need is a sunny location , soil that ’s well - draining and rich in nutrients , and plenty of pee . Lettuce grows best in nerveless conditions , which think of that the time to plant it is in early spring and late summertime .
Best Tips and Tricks for Growing Lettuce
One of the greatest parts about growing your own veggie is the broad selection of unusual diverseness to plant that are n’t typically available at the market store . In increase , homegrown produce has effective savour and more nutrient than computer memory - purchase alternatives .
In most regions , moolah are bounce and fall crop . These cool - weather salad greens get well at temperature between 60 - 70 ℉ .
They ’re signally tight - originate , with baby honey oil ready to find fault within about a calendar month from planting semen and full heading in six to eight weeks , count on the variety .
Although lettuce will rise in fond tad , it does best in full sun with at least six hour of direct sunshine every Clarence Day . Whether you’regrowing gelt in containersor garden beds , it requires loose , well - draining ground that ’s productive in food and organic topic .
In accession , lettuce plants are sound feeders , so it ’s beneficial to fertilize them at least once while they ’re mature . Lettuce makes a nice addition to apotted vegetable gardenas long as it gets the care it necessitate .
How Long does Lettuce Take to Grow?
You might be wondering , “ How long does lettuce take to acquire ? ” It depends on which lettuce varieties you plant . There are four main classifications of lettuce : butterhead , crisphead , cos , and looseleaf varieties .
free - folio lettuce type tend to be the fastest - growing . They imprint loose head that are ready to harvest in as little as five or six weeks .
Butterhead loot ordinarily take the longest to mature , averaging eight to nine weeks from planting to harvest . Also known as Boston or Bibb shekels , these varieties are more heat - tolerant than other cultivars .
Although gelt grows at temperatures as low as 40 ℉ , they grow much quicker between 60 - 70 ℉ , so to give your lettuce plants a oral sex start in early spring when the weather is still parky , try start your coolheaded - season crops like lettuce in a cold frame .
Cold frames are small , portable solar nursery that allow gardeners to conveniently start nerveless - time of year crops sooner .
They ’re also helpful to inure off warm - season plant and stretch the grow time of year later in the fall . They ’re incredibly straightforward to make at home using repurposed materials .
First , decide on the dimensions of your frigid anatomy . Some gardeners top erect beds with a stale frame early in the season .
Others use them as loose - stand miniskirt - glasshouse to move around as needed . It ’s possible to customize the figure of your cold frame to fit your office .
get down by cutting your 2×6 piece to match the dimension of the lid . It ’s helpful to design your frigid inning so that the back is taller than the front to debilitate water and maximize sunlight hours .
Next , sheer one of the 2×6 pieces diagonally so that you have two triangular piece for the slanting sidewalls .
Screw the sideboards to the corner spell , securing each circuit board with two wood screws . For the triangular top panels , attach the narrow point to the board below with a vertically placed screw . Repeat with the front and back board to fill out the box .
Position your lid on top of the frame and seize hinges to the back . If you are n’t using salvaged window or a shower door , construct the frame for the palpebra and attach transparent or opaque greenhouse charge card or a sheet of polycarbonate .
For more lengthy cold frames , utilize several hinge along the length of your covert to ensure that it ’s secure .
Attach the lid supports . First , site a prospicient 1×1 piece on either side of your cold physique to keep back up the side of meat of the lid at various heights .
On the front sharpness of the human body , position two shorter supports on either side . These piece keep the top just hardly loose enough for ventilation .
Attach the pieces with wood nookie on the inside of the frame . Ensure that they ’re just loose enough to pivot into emplacement but tight enough to remain in post when supporting the cold frame chapeau .
It ’s potential to speed up your outpouring harvest by up to two workweek when using a insensate frame . Similarly , cold skeletal frame start the growing season substantially in the capitulation and even throughout the winter in some mood .
How to Grow Lettuce from Seeds
Lettuce grows best when the seeds are sown forthwith in the garden , so the bestway to plant lettuce seeds is in other spring anytime the grime temperature is systematically above 40 ℉ .
However , the idealistic temperature for germinating dough seeds is between 55 - 65 ℉ . Germination normally takes about seven to ten days .
Since the semen are so flyspeck , grow lettuce from seedshallowly – no deeper than a fourth part - inch . Cover the semen with a lean sheet of topsoil and compost , and softly irrigate them .
If you ’re starting lettuce seedlings indoors or you buy glasshouse - grown moolah flora , the time for transplanting is around the last frost date for your zone .
Grow light are n’t unremarkably necessary for growing bread seed unless you do n’t have a cheery windowsill available . Keep your cum - starting potting stain moist at all times while the seed sprout and the seedlings develop .
Make indisputable to indurate off your lettuce seedlings for about a week before transplanting by leaving them out in the element for more and more more prolonged period each day .
The plant must be about two or three in tall and have at least four or five leaf before transplant . For a uninterrupted supply of refreshful lettuce , plant loot seed every two weeks until the weather is systematically above 80 ℉ .
In hot weather , lettuce plants cease leaf production , send up a flower stalk , and commence generating seeds , a procedure called “ run off . ” For a capitulation lettuce craw , plant another beat of seeds as soon as the atmospheric condition starts chill off in late summer .
It ’s also quite easy togrow Romaine gelt from scrapsas well as other mixture . All you need is a cupful of water , the magnetic core of the lettuce , and some toothpick .
Spacing Between Lettuce Plants
These plant suffer when vie with skunk for water and nutrients . gelt plants act as a living mulch when planted close together by inhibit weed ontogenesis and shading the surrounding soil to hold moisture for longer period .
Thanks to their heavyset size , lettuce plants fit nicely between taller crop . The arrangement is mutually profitable . The lettuce protects the soil , while the taller plants provide partial shade for the leafy greens .
Plant leafage lettuce change four inches apart . Spacing between butterhead , crisphead , and romaine bread plant should be about six to eight inches .
Best Soil for Growing Lettuce
Since they have a shallow root system , it ’s crucial to plant lettuce in lax , well - draining dirt plenteous in organic matter .
A hebdomad or two before planting lettuce seminal fluid , work a generous bed of compost or well - moulder manure into the soil and see to it that the area is destitute from rocks and other obstructions .
Lettuce requires consistently damp soil , but it should n’t get muddy . count on your clime , water your boodle every three or four days or more often during dry periods .
Drought emphasis causes lettuce plants to bolt and become blistering . Lay down straw , leaf litter , grass clippings , or compost between plants as mulch to retain moisture and keep the soil temperature ice chest .
Choosing the Proper Fertilizer for Lettuce Plants
works fertilizer contains three fundamental macronutrients : nitrogen ( N ) , phosphorus ( atomic number 15 ) , and potassium ( K ) . Nitrogen promotes leaf emergence , morning star encourages robust root word system , and K supports fruiting and flowering processes .
Leafy greens like lettuce benefit from in high spirits - nitrogen fertilizer . Homemade fertilizer for lettuceincludes Pisces emulsion , composted manure , coffee berry grounds , and grass clipping . They are excellent born ways to supply atomic number 7 to your garden grunge .
It ’s decisive to utilize well - rotted manure . Most in the altogether manure contains such a high concentration of nitrogen that it “ burns ” the works .
Fertilizer burn results in brown , crispy leaves and damage to the root system from an excessive buildup of salts that are n’t getting even out out tight enough .
The only types of manure that are safe to use “ cold , ” or raw , are cony , llama , and alpaca . Other type of manure like Gallus gallus , cow , goat , sawbuck , and sheep must be compost first .
Growing Lettuce in Raised Beds
Lettuce is a perfect prospect for maturate in raise beds , thanks to its versatility and compact maturation habit . The grunge in resurrect bed normally warms up earlier than the ground , make it potential to plant lettuce even earlier in the give and later in the fall .
Another advantage of growing loot in a raise bottom is that it ’s easier to provide the right soil conditions . Weeds are less of an issue in arouse layer gardens and keep the soil from wear away in heavy rainwater or tip .
Harvesting and Storing Lettuce
The best way to harvest lettuce look on which variety you grow . For baby greens , pick the outer leave-taking once they ’re two or three inches long .
Harvesting your lettuce before the plant life reaches maturity is crucial , as the leaves apace become bitter and tough when the plant begin bloom .
Many nurseryman manifest that it ’s unspoiled to harvest lettuce farewell early in the aurora when they ’re the crispest and sweetest .
Harvest butterhead , romaine , and loose - leaf sugar by pluck the outer leave as want , dig up the entire plant , or dilute it about an inch above the base to regrow a second , small head of lettuce . Whengrowing iceberg lettuce , crisphead or iceberg lettuce should be harvested once the center is firm .
Theway to keep lettuce new longeris to put it in the refrigerator for up to ten days . After gargle and dry the leaves , it ’s good to store pelf in a lidded container to fend off bruise .
Also , keep your bread away from fruits that raise ethylene petrol like apples , alligator pear , pear , and peaches . Ethylene throttle is a naturally occurring chemical substance that speed the ripening unconscious process and causes lettuce to droop faster .
Frozen lettuce is also a possible action . This storage method acting is best when you design to use lettuce in a recipe rather than for a salad .
Different Types of Lettuce
Lettuce comes in an telling array of colors , flavors , and textures . Most gardeners grow several unlike type of shekels for various uses .
When selecting which form of dinero to plant , it ’s essential to infer the differences between them . Here are some of our favorite lettuce varieties to grow in the veggie garden .
Butterhead Lettuce
True to its name , butterhead pelf has a scented , buttery flavor and a untoughened , creamy texture .
They ’re an fantabulous addition to brisk salad and sandwich , especially for those put off by the bitter , pungent gustation of some other leafy greens . Butterhead clams grows in dark green and burgundy shade , and tends to be more heat - tolerant than other lettuce varieties .
Crisphead Lettuce
Also known as top dog or gallery loot , crisphead diverseness take shape a dense , firm central ball . They customarily have a mildly cherubic sapidity and a crunchy , crisp texture .
The leaves have a higher water substance than other type of lettuce , which makes them an extra refreshing summer dainty . There are green , scarlet , bronze , and speckled kind of crisphead bread .
Loose-Leaf Lettuce
wanton - leaf lettuce types are usually fast - growing , with a fond texture and gently sweet flavor . Most leaf lettuce cultivars have unspecific leaves with frilled boundary .
The colors stray from yellow , green , bronze , and Bourgogne . Oakleaf clams is a specific eccentric of on the loose - leaf boodle with lobed leaves that run to be smaller .
Romaine Lettuce
Romaine simoleons features long , nipping leaves with a mildly bitter taste . Sometimes called “ cos ” lettuce , these miscellany tend to be the most heat - large-minded and are slower to bolt when the weather warms .
Although you typically see only green romaine lettuce at the supermarket , there are also bronze , red , and speckled cultivars . It ’s sluttish togrow romaine lettuceyourself , too .
Common Pest and Disease Issues for Lettuce
Although lettuce is generally easy to grow , there are a few pesterer and disease problem to see out for in your garden . Plants are much more susceptible to attacks from louse and pathogens when they ’re stress .
Your best demarcation of defence force is to keep your plant life as salubrious as potential by providing fair to middling amounts of visible light , nutrients , and water .
Aphids , cutworms , leaf miners , slugs , snails , and thrips are some of the most well-worn insects that feed on lettuce plant . In increase to damage the leafage , these insects often transport disease like mosaic virus between plants .
Organic insecticides like neem oil , horticultural crude oil , and insecticidal soap are effective against soft - embodied insects like aphids , folio miners , and thripid .
Use diatomaceous earth to combat cutworms , slugs , and snails . put on row covers to your newly transplanted lettuces to prevent insects from laying eggs on the tender vernal industrial plant .
Some of the most frequent disease issues for lettuce industrial plant are bacterial foliage spot , downy mould , powdery mildew , and mosaic computer virus . Treat the touched plants with organic atomic number 29 or atomic number 16 fungicide .
Diseases like break off and white mildew come from soil - turn out fungus and primarily touch on lettuce seedlings . If you ’ve had issues in past years , practice crop rotation and industrial plant disease - resistant varieties .
Companion Plants for Lettuce
Companion planting is a useful garden pattern scheme that nurseryman have used for centuries to utilize the reciprocally beneficial interactions between sure works , creating a healthy garden ecosystem .
Some plant draw pollinators and predatory insects , and others drive back various garden pests . Specific plant pairings reportedly enhance one another ’s development and flavour when grown together .
However , some plants must be planted apart because they have prejudicious effects on one another ’s growth .
legume have a unequaled power to ready nitrogen in the soil through a symbiotic relationship with soil bacterium . As such , they make exceptional companion plants for leafy Green like lettuce .
solution vegetable like beets , carrots , parsnips , radish , and white turnip do n’t compete for grease blank space with lettuce plants , which have shallow root systems .
They gibe nicely between the lettuce plants to maximize your planting blank space . white turnip have the added benefit of repelling aphids .
Aromatic herbs like St. Basil , cilantro , chervil , and mint repel plague like aphids , thrips , and slugs . Borage , chamomile , calendula , dill weed , feverfew , and golden buttons are rattling for attracting good predatory insects as well as pollinator .
Members of the Allium flora family like cive , garlic , leeks , and onions dissuade legion pestilence like aphid , Daucus carota sativa flies , slug , spider jot , deer , and rodents through their strong scent .
Avoid planting your pelf near members of the Brassica family , which include bok choy , broccoli , Brussels sprouts , cabbage , cauliflower , Brassica oleracea acephala , and kohlrabi . These plants reportedly stunt one another ’s increment .
Health Benefits of Eating Lettuce
Lettuce contains eminent levels of vitamin and minerals that have a wide mountain chain of health benefits . The exact nutrient message depends on the miscellanea . Butterhead dinero types typically have the highest nutritionary note value , and iceberg lettuce has the lowest .
In general , lettuce is plenteous in vitamins A , C , K , and branding iron . Vitamin A plays a all-important function in centre wellness and reduces the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration .
Vitamin K upgrade ivory strength and decreases the chance of fractures . Lettuce also has anti - incitive properties and avail low cholesterin .
Have you ever question , “ How long does lettuce take to grow ? ” Lettuce is an well-heeled and satisfying crop to produce in your garden , and you ’ll be harvest infant William Green within a few weeks of planting .
Full heads take between four and eight week to maturate , depending on the form . It ’s an improbably versatile harvest and prosper in diverse conditions as long as it perplex at least five hour of sun day by day and meet reproducible moisture .
Whether you ’re a initiate nurseryman or have years of experience civilise your garden , it ’s worth the seek to get lettuces as a bound and declination crop .
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