Greens are a staple in our kitchen. Hardly a dinner goes by without some sort of leafy green going into it. This year we have grown kale, swiss chard, arugula, spinach and two varieties of lettuce. Each type of green has its own unique set of qualities and growing specifications. Of all the greens we grow, lettuce is the most common and one of the easiest. You can get lots of lettuce from a relatively small area. Yesterday alone I harvested over 4 pounds of bib lettuce from a 2 x 5 area! Below is everything you need to know about growing lettuce in your garden.
1. TYPES OF LETTUCE: Before you can start about growing lettuce, you must figure out what kind you want. There are two large categories of lettuce: the leafing variety and the head variety. Head lettuce will make compact heads that allow you to harvest it all in one go - similar to the romaine or iceberg heads you would find in the store. Leafing lettuce is taller and harvested by picking each leaf as it matures. It is also easier to grow than heading lettuce. More on specific varieties of leafing and heading lettuce can be found here.
2. WHEN AND WHERE TO PLANT: Lettuce prefers cooler damp weather. Sow lettuce seeds directly into the soil about two weeks before the last frost date. Lettuce does not like to be transplanted, so do not start indoors. The frost date for your area can be found here. Lettuce has a good germination rate, so don't plan on planting a lot more seeds than you will actually need. Choose a location that is partially shaded (only 3-5 hours of direct sun). Space seeds apart according to package instructions. If using the square foot gardening method, heading lettuce will require one square foot each, while leaf lettuce may be planted with four per square.
3. COMPANION PLANTING: If you are growing other vegetables besides lettuce, you may want to consider pairing certain combinations together for companion gardening purposes. Just like humans, vegetable plants have friends and enemies. Although lettuce does not have enemies, it does have plants that help it grow better. Consider the following when planting lettuce in a bed with other vegetables:
4. WATERING: When weather gets too hot and dry, lettuce will begin to bolt (go to seed). When it does this, it changes the flavor of the lettuce and makes it very bitter. Eventually, all lettuce left in the ground will bolt, but frequent watering will prolong the growing period before this occurs. Water the plants daily. They prefer damp soil, but make sure not to have any standing water.
5. HARVESTING: In order to make your lettuce last longer, you will want to harvest the outer leaves of the plant and leave the smaller middle leaves to mature. Never pick more than 1/3 of the leaves on a given plant. As the plant grows, it will get taller. As you continue to pick the large outer leaves, the lettuce may look less like what you would get in the store and more like little lettuce palm trees. This is okay, and will help extend you lettuce harvest longer. If you are growing head lettuce and want to harvest the entire head in one shot, there are two options:
First, you can cut the head at the base of the stalk where it meets the ground. After you do this, the lettuce will need to be reseeded from scratch. The second option is called "cut and come again lettuce". This really only works for heading varieties. In it, the lettuce is cut 1-2 inches above the base. Anything left is supposed to regenerate. I am trying this out for the first time this season, and so don't have any personal experience with it yet. Here is a video that I watched and found helpful. (video). I am hoping it works for me as well!
6. STORING CUT LETTUCE: Fresh cut lettuce wilts quickly and will loose its crunch. It ought to processed right away after it is picked. In order to make the lettuce you picked last in your refrigerator for the longest amount of time before it gets slimy, following the steps below.
5. HARVESTING: In order to make your lettuce last longer, you will want to harvest the outer leaves of the plant and leave the smaller middle leaves to mature. Never pick more than 1/3 of the leaves on a given plant. As the plant grows, it will get taller. As you continue to pick the large outer leaves, the lettuce may look less like what you would get in the store and more like little lettuce palm trees. This is okay, and will help extend you lettuce harvest longer. If you are growing head lettuce and want to harvest the entire head in one shot, there are two options:
First, you can cut the head at the base of the stalk where it meets the ground. After you do this, the lettuce will need to be reseeded from scratch. The second option is called "cut and come again lettuce". This really only works for heading varieties. In it, the lettuce is cut 1-2 inches above the base. Anything left is supposed to regenerate. I am trying this out for the first time this season, and so don't have any personal experience with it yet. Here is a video that I watched and found helpful. (video). I am hoping it works for me as well!
6. STORING CUT LETTUCE: Fresh cut lettuce wilts quickly and will loose its crunch. It ought to processed right away after it is picked. In order to make the lettuce you picked last in your refrigerator for the longest amount of time before it gets slimy, following the steps below.
- Wash off all dirt and slime.
- Use a kitchen towel and strainer to drain and pat dry lettuce
- Remove any leaves with impurities, spots or slime.
- Line Ziplock with paper towel.
- Put it in the bag and Seal. Do not over-pack the bag! Naturally let it settle by giving it a small shake.