Lettuce grow salads from the home garden

Do you find yourself wondering what’s in those bags of prewashed lettuce and salad greens? And do those mixed spring greens all taste the same?

Sweet, crisp and flavorful lettuce is quick and easy to grow in the home garden. In vivid shades of green, red and bronze, and with textures ranging from soft and tender to crinkly and crisp, freshly picked lettuce pops with flavor.

To add even more zing, toss in some peppery, pungent arugula, spicy mustard greens or frilly kale leaves. And if taste, texture and color aren’t enough, your home-grown salad is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, iron and calcium.

Lettuce is cool

Lettuce and salad greens like it cool, so get started now.

You will need a partially shaded location for your lettuce garden — four hours of morning sun would be ideal. Lettuce will bolt from too much sun and heat, pushing up seed stalks with bitter leaves. Find a spot protected from salty coastal breezes and harsh north winds.

Lettuce is shallow-rooted and also grows very well in containers. Portable pots can be moved around — into the shade or inside. Salad greens need protection from freezing but will tolerate a light frost.

Plant seeds or plants, available in local garden shops, in soil enriched with manure or mushroom compost. Lightly cover tiny seeds with fine soil. Space plants 4 to 6 inches apart. Water daily to keep the soil consistently moist.

Pests are not usually a problem. Just hose off aphids, or plant lice, or spritz them with mild, soapy water.

Fresh lettuce is best eaten just after picking. Harvest in the cooler mornings or evenings.

Keep it loose

Leaf lettuce and loose-head varieties that are heat-tolerant and bolt-resistant are best for our area. Iceberg, or crisphead, lettuce is difficult to grow and requires a long, cool season.

Look for these varieties:

» Red sails: Mottled bronze, burgundy and green ruffled leaves, tender and sweet.

» Buttercrunch: Forms a loose head resembling a rosette, with a cascade of rich, green leaves.

» Grand Rapids: Compact, light green, frilly, curly leaves.

Vegetarian, Raw and Vegan with Bill & Sheila

_____________________________________________________________________
If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest. This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)

Return from lettuce to Home Page

If you want to increase your site popularity and gain thousands of visitors – check out these sites THEY ARE FREE. Spanishchef more than doubled its ‘New Visitors’ last month simply by signing up to these sites:




Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER