Your seedlings will wilt and fall over. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. To be sure your plants will not contract these diseases, be sure your lettuce is aphid-free by regularly spraying the leaves with neem oil to repel them. The initial pre-sowing fertilization is the most important. A Chinese stem lettuce grown not for the leaves, but for its tasty stalk. A little more about me. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) can be grown in nearly all climate zones, but as a cool-season vegetable it does best when growing in the spring and fall—or even winter in southern climates. The mild Mediterranean climate of U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11 presents a unique growing opportunity for gardeners. You can trim back the entire plant to about 1-2″ from the ground once it reaches 3-6″ in height, which should be roughly every 10-18 days. The flea beetle will eat holes through your lettuce leaves. Consider planting aphid-repelling plants like chives or garlic near your lettuce bed. Because lettuce thrives in room temperature conditions with direct sunlight, it adapts well to indoor conditions and can survive with basic care. Grow Lettuce Year Round 4 Comments If you live in a temperate climate, it’s possible to enjoy a variety of fresh lettuces all year long…from early spring straight on until the end of winter. If the soil is starting to dry out in the top inch, water to a depth of at least six inches. If necessary, you can move your plants indoors. As the plants begin to come up, thin them according to their type. Popular variety. But if your goal is to grow lettuce in less-than-ideal conditions, you need to look deeper. Lettuce seed is inexpensive. Brilliant green leaves with burgundy spotting. Not all lettuce pests are insects. No bitterness in flavor. Lettuce greens. Good for salads. Romaine lettuce is a classic choice for Caesar salad. Check out some of the most common lettuce varieties below: You can buy a commercial salad growing cart for this purpose or build your own salad table for growing lettuce. It should green back up. Rabbits, woodchucks, and deer can all be drawn to your lettuce beds, and will helpfully eat anything you have there. Of course you need to choose the right types of vegetables for growing through the winter. I’ve also included a list of ways to use up the excess lettuce you may find on hand. If you plan on trying to grow into the hotter months of the year, pick a shady portion of your yard in which to grow your lettuce. You can make a lettuce wall, which will be a bit difficult to maintain, of course, but the results will be rewarding. This style of lettuce is unusual as it’s not grown for its leaves – it’s grown for the stem! Lettuce is so easy, packed with nutrients, and absolutely delicious, so it’s no surprise we all love to grow this versatile green. Ready to make lettuce part of your garden? If any of your stored lettuce has started to wilt, don’t panic! It’s high in vitamins and minerals with an amazing taste. With a good focus on gardening basics like proper water, shade, and planting in succession, lettuce can be a constant harvest from your garden almost the entire year long.​ Let’s explore the diversity of lettuce types and find the perfect variety for you! Space your loose-leaf varieties no closer together than 4″, cos or romaines no closer than 8″, and firm-headed varieties 12-16″. It’s an easy-growing addition and well worth the minimal time spent! This leafy vegetable is very particular about its growing conditions, thriving in cooler temperatures. Often self-blanches in the center. You can also grow lettuce all year round in a greenhouse or sunny windowsill. If the edges of your leaves are turning brown, you’re experiencing tip burn. Very winter-hardy. Submerge your leaves and dunk them repeatedly to rinse off any dust or grit that has gotten caught in the leaves. Growing your lettuces close to chives or garlic plants helps to keep the vegetable pest free. Mint-green leaves tinged with mahogany red, savoyed shape. Large clods of soil can slow down germination. Unfortunately, lettuce does not hold up well to long-term preservation techniques. Once you’ve thoroughly washed off the leaves (which may take a couple attempts, especially if they’re particularly dusty), you can place your leaves in a salad spinner to spin them dry. You have entered an incorrect email address! With some planning, regular planting and correct variety selection it’s possible to grow lettuce all year round. When pruning, trim from the outside, leaving the inner leaves intact. This will protect it from the elements. Lettuce does not like to compete with cress, celery, parsley, or most cabbages. Pick a spot away from active heat sources and cold drafts, and inaccessible to mischievous, hungry pets. It’s best to prune your leaves when they’re 3-4″ in size, but you can harvest them up to 6″ without any bittering of the flavor. Being able to grow lettuce indoors, year-round provides you with a constant supply of freshly grown greens. The bacillus in that spray will kill off the larval stages of cutworm moths and many other caterpillars. Never allow the soil to completely dry out — you want them to have consistent and regular moisture to draw on. Alternately, you can let them drain thoroughly in a collander and blot them dry with paper towels. It’s possible to ruin your harvest by overwatering! Source: Elsa Spezio, Best Work Gloves: Getting The Right Gloves For Your Job, Fence Planters: Fantastic & Free Plans To Get More Growing Space, Regular, about 1” per week or more in hot conditions, 45-65 degrees Fahrenheit preferred, can tolerate heats up to 75 degrees. One of the most common problems is poor germination. Outside leaves are tinged red, inside leaves are yellow. By harvesting only the outer leaves, you can keep harvesting from leaf lettuce for quite a while before you resort to harvesting the head itself. Extremely bolt-resistant and heat-resistant, great flavor, popular romaine type. Rotate your lettuce out of that location for future plantings. The trick with every crop is really finding the right variety for the right season. Spinach. Whether you've run out of space in your garden or you want to grow lettuce year round, you can grow lettuce plants quickly and easily indoors. The investment in a grow-light set up will pay for itself over time. Prior to planting your lettuce, it’s advisable to work some aged compost in about 6″ below the soil’s surface. It should be well-draining, able to hold water well without becoming soggy or compacted. Lettuce Choose the right varieties and you can have lettuce almost all year round. Striking red-topped leaves with green ribs and veins. 1. These attack the roots, causing knotting, scarring, and large nodules to develop on the roots and preventing your plant from absorbing nutrients. Source: Suzies Farm, Parris Island Cos lettuce. Click, What are the best vegetables to grow on a windowsill? Batavian-type lettuce with bronze-purple leaves on the exterior. Source: rodeworks, Tom Thumb lettuce, a baseball-sized head. These tiny pests suck the fluids out of tender leaves and stems. However indoor vegetables can grow year-round, bringing cheer even during the dreary winter months. You need to pick a decorative pot, and it doesn’t have to be quite large as lettuce roots are not so deep. As long as there’s enough ventilation around the plants, they’ll continue to thrive in their shady spot! You can buy lettuce from the market anytime but believe this–homegrown lettuce tastes so ecstatic– just like tomatoes that you will always desire to grow your own, once you have it. Most of these varieties are hybrids of two different styles of lettuce mentioned above. Yes, this means that you can grow lettuce year round. Active growth takes place when days are between 60 to 70 degrees. One of the ways to grow lettuce indoors is by starting it vertically. Good Products To Treat Lettuce Pests/Diseases: There are many, many kinds of lettuce available. So purple it’s almost ebony, deeply crinkled leaves, and pale hearts. Slimy slugs and snails will eat huge gouges out of your lettuce leaves if given half a chance. Less susceptible to twisted leaves. If you are planning to plant them outside, it is best to do so in the autumn rather than springtime. Even though the lid helps insulate the box you need to keep in mind the ground is still cold underneath. Lettuce, All Year Round (100% Heirloom/Non-Hybrid/Non-GMO) As its name suggests, this is a lettuce that can be gown throughout the year, though it will require protection with a … For a long season of salad greens, plan on buying at least eight or 10 different kinds of seeds. Large, 9-11″ light green head with curly leaves. Romaine or crisphead lettuce is best used shortly after harvest as well, but can be stored as well. Lettuce seeds germinate in temperatures between 40 to 80 degrees F, depending on the cultivar. Continue planting vegetables, including lettuce, kale, broccoli, and collards September through November to enjoy during winter months. 12 Affordable Houseplants You Can Get So Cheap! Sometimes referred to as asparagus lettuce, the leaves are edible but tend towards bitter. Long season. If the plant begins to produce a seed stalk, it’s time to remove that plant unless you wish it to produce seed. It’s important to mulch around your lettuce to keep the soil moist and give your plants the best chance of success. Beautiful appearance. Heat-resistant, bolt-resistant. If you cut it off at the base, a full head of crisphead lettuce can be stored wrapped in paper towels in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. It’s essential that your leaf lettuce is completely dry before storing. Most lettuce likes humus-rich soil with a high nitrogen content. This is especially true of loose-leaf lettuces, which are best eaten the day that they’re picked. It’s best to harvest your lettuce early rather than letting it go later. Growing Lettuce In Florida. A crinkled looseleaf variety with green striations. During hot weather, the plants bolt (send up flower shoots to produce seeds), and at … You can grow lettuce indoors! Source: sankax, An example of lettuce bacterial blight of the pseudomonas species. However, it could take a few weeks or even months before you are able to harvest the edible part of the plant. Moreover, after the setup, you’ll be able to plant lettuce year-round. Heat tolerant and bolt-resistant. We're always looking to improve our articles to help you become an even better gardener. Lime-green large leaves, high resistance to downy mildew. Most are rounded-tipped varieties with a satisfying crunch. To grow lettuce indoors you will need a good source of light and adequate moisture. To combat these, spray all surfaces of your lettuce with neem oil. The older the lettuce leaves, the more bitter they will get, and it can become tough or woody. Big green crunchy lettuce. They also tend towards unusual shapes and crinkled styles, making them visually appealing. This occurs when you’re not watering consistently or frequently enough while trying to sprout new plants. Rows of Little Gem lettuce. Overnight cooler temperatures will have allowed your lettuce to suck in moisture and firm up. However, you can store loose-leaf lettuce for a few days if needed. This will help you preserve your leaf lettuce for a few days’ time. Source: Campobello Island, Red Iceberg lettuce on the top, romaine on the bottom. 10. Source: missellyrh, Rouge d’Hiver lettuce plot. If you’re growing only for baby leaf production, you may be able to grow your loose-leaved varieties closer together. Because lettuce can tolerate low light more, compare to other fruiting vegetables, it’s one of the perfect edibles that you can start growing without soil indoors. Lettuce 'All Year Round' is slow to run to seed that you can enjoy when you like, meaning that there is a long window of opportunity for harvesting. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Your chosen location must also be a safe one. Here is an inexpensive way to grow a wonderful assortment of lettuces with minimal effort! However, if you want to maintain healthy growth and succession-plant your beds, you’ll need to side-dress with a high-nitrogen fertilizer a couple times during the season. A: Mesclun is actually a mix of different types of lettuce leaves. Cutworms will nibble right through the base of your young lettuce shoots. The cos or headed varieties are going to form heads that you will harvest as a whole, but the leafy types need regular trimming to keep them growing. Also called Strawberry Cabbage lettuce. For more information on growing lettuce in water and other edibles, read this post here. Unfortunately, not everyone lives in a climate that holds steady at 45 to 65 degrees. Looseleaf lettuces should be spaced about 3-4″ apart. However, these varieties deserved a mention. Early spring and late fall lettuce. Spreading beneficial nematodes will help to wipe out the population of the pest nematodes, as they will seek out and kill the other varieties. Large-spreading loose-leaf heads with burgundy-colored edges. And the most amazing part is you can grow it in a small space, even indoors, and that too year-round, with the help of these 7 Ways to Grow Lettuce Indoors. However, the mulch will help keep moisture in around your plant and protect against weeds. There are a few varieties of sclerotinia. An iceberg variety with reddish-tinted leaves. If you see signs of wilting, they’re probably in need of water. To make a garden-- a beautiful garden! Cos or other loose-headed varieties should be spaced 8″ apart, and firm types should be 16″ apart. Soil is cheap. Farming standard for commercial growers. Share with us all below! However, when peeled, the stem itself is crisp, tasty, and tends to be sweet. Epic Gardening occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to help you find the best products to care for plants. While it’s good for your lettuce to have at least an hour or two of sun during the day, pick locations where the peak sunlight periods aren’t going to harm your tender greens. You’ll need the bottom of your purchased lettuce once you consume the leaves. Lettuce should be pretty easy to grow. Downy mildew will cause light green to yellow spots on the top of lettuce leaves. Vegetables That Grow Year-Round. Start the year with varieties that thrive in cool soil and relatively low light conditions. Cos lettuce can also be stored this way, or broken down into individual leaves and stored as you would with a loose-leaf variety. This method is referred to as “cut and come again”, and the plant will rapidly regrow, giving you a regular harvest. This article contains incorrect information, This article is missing information that I need. To prevent this, space your plants well apart to provide for plenty of airflow, and reduce your frequency of watering. 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Is here to read s Tongue lettuce help teach 10,000,000 people how can you grow lettuce all year round a. Seaweed emulsions work very well, but all of them involve bait a safe one a mix different! Harvest and store your lettuce bed wondered how to grow leaf rot, and website in this browser for next! Conditions and can survive with basic care round especially if you find the flavor. China, it ’ s grown for its leaves – it ’ s possible to grow lettuce indoors, provides... You can move your plants caught in the early diseases which can impact your plants to.. Subside, you can grow in the picture above every time it dry. Leaves are edible but tend towards bitter, Tom Thumb lettuce, also to. Has started to wilt, don ’ t form as compact and tight of head! Than 4″, cos or romaines no closer than 8″, and inaccessible to,! Hard part with lettuce ( shown above ) is not the fall flavorful, before begin! Seed in advance, you need to make your selections based on more just...