Lettuce is an easy to grow crop that's ready to eat quickly, often in less than a month. You can even harvest it after a couple weeks for micro greens. It prefers cool weather, such as in the spring and fall, and lots of light. During the summer it can be difficult to keep the plants cool enough, resulting in bitter leaves or the plants bolting to seed.
There are many different lettuces and other salad greens (like chervil, purslane) available. I recommend growing leaf lettuces, rather than head lettuces (like iceberg). This makes it easy to snip of a few leaves whenever you want. The lettuce plant will keep making new leaves for you to eat!
If you're new to growing your own lettuce and don't know which ones you'll like or which will grow best for you, try a prepackaged mix of seeds. These can usually be found where you buy seeds locally, or can be purchased online, such as the Master Chef Blend, Organic Salad Bowl Mix and the Summer Glory Blend with heat resistant varieties.
You can start your lettuce seeds wither in the container they're going to live in or in smaller starter containers and transplant them later. I like to start mine separately so I can arrange the plants in a larger container to give an attractive design. Cover the seeds with a very thin layer of soil and keep them moist. Indoors they should sprout in two days to a week.
If you started the plants separately you can transplant them when they're two to three weeks old. Once they've recovered from transplanting, harden them off for a few days before keeping them outside.
Lettuce has a shallow root system and needs to be watered very regularly, especially as the weather warms up. When the weather gets hot you can move your lettuce to the shade of taller plants, or move the container to a cooler location, perhaps one that doesn't get direct sunlight all day. You can also build a small shade over to partially block the sun.
If your plants look like they're getting ready to bolt (you'll learn to recognize this), you can try digging them up and replanting them. This shock can cause the plant to focus on its roots and getting growing again, rather than making seeds.
To harvest your lettuce you can either carefully break off the leaf, being careful not to disturb the roots or pull the plant right out of the ground, or use a set of clean scissors or shears to cut the leaf close to the ground. A quick rinse and a spin in the salad spinner (or gently pat dry with some paper towels) and you're ready to go!
Lettuce alone can make a decent salad, but you can take it to the next level by adding some non-lettuce plants. Perhaps a little mint to give a cool, refreshing character? How about some salad burnet, which tastes like cucumber? Arugula gives a spicy, peppery flavor.
Once you start eating your own home-grow lettuce you'll wonder why you didn't start years ago. Enjoy your fresher, healthier and tastier salads!
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