Lettuce started indoors on December 28 and ready to go out into the garden later today.
Lettuce is one of the few vegetables I recommend to almost everyone, whether you garden in large beds, raised beds, containers, or a small patio. Lettuce is shallow rooted, fast to mature, and tolerant of imperfect conditions. That combination makes it easy and reliable.
My tips for lettuce made easy:
For a spring crop, start indoors December through February, or direct sow February through March. Lettuce is very easy to start by seed. It germinates and grows quickly. You can go from seed to harvest in as little as 30 days. For loose-leaf or head lettuce, sow in cell trays, thin to one seedling per cell, and transplant out once hardened off. Or, direct sow and thin plants to proper spacing recommended on seed packet. For baby leaf lettuce, sow densely in a seed flat or direct in the garden, and harvest baby leaves as needed. You can even grow baby leaf lettuce entirely indoors.
No yard, no problem. Grow lettuce in anything from a window box to pots to wooden boxes or indoors! Lettuces have shallow root systems, so they don’t need very deep containers in order to thrive. For best results, grow loose-leaf lettuces that can be harvested leaf by leaf or grow baby leaf lettuces and sow densely.
Keep soil evenly moist, but not soggy. Soggy soil leads to leaf rot and problems with slugs. In the garden, mulch plants to stabilize soil moisture. In containers, wait until surface of soil is dry before thoroughly watering again.
Make repeat sowings to extend the harvest. Sow lettuce at regular intervals (success sowing) to ensure you have a consistent supply of lettuce for your dinner table. Full-size head lettuce and loose-leaf lettuces can be sown every 10 to 14 days. Baby leaf lettuces can be sown every 7 days.
Learn more about growing lettuce (and my favorite varieties) in the Superb Spring Vegetable Garden class on February 11. Need the basics first? Gardening 101 will be held this Saturday, February 7 at 10:00 am live online.
Enrolled students have access to both of these live classes and the replay of the Indoor Seed-Starting course held last month.
Upcoming classes
North Texas Gardening 101 for Beginners or New Residents Saturday, February 7, 10:00 am, live online
Superb Spring Vegetable Garden Wednesday, February 11, 6:30 pm, live online
Fruit Trees & Berries Saturday, Feb 14, 10:00 am, live online
Soil Health & Composting On-Demand Release: Friday, February 27
Enrolled students get access to all classes, live and on-demand.
A typical blackberry harvest in late May. On February 14, I'll be sharing the best varieties for North Texas, where to plant, and how to prune properly for berries by the basketful.
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