Romaine Lettuce
Type: Annual
Description: Leafy on top and crunchy near the base
When to plant: Plant outside (in a container) 1-6 weeks before the last fall frost
Level of difficulty: 2-3
How to plant: Lettuce is great to grow if you love a fresh salad!
Tips/Facts/Uses:
Description: Leafy on top and crunchy near the base
When to plant: Plant outside (in a container) 1-6 weeks before the last fall frost
Level of difficulty: 2-3
How to plant: Lettuce is great to grow if you love a fresh salad!
- Begin with sterile seed trays or starter containers.
- Fill the containers ¾ full with well aerated potting soil, place two lettuce seeds, then place ¼ of a layer of potting soil over the seeds.
- Water well, and then place the starter containers in a sunny spot for 6 hours per day. The temperature should be between 40 to 80 degrees F.
- When the seedlings are big enough to transplant (1-3 inches) take a bigger pot (12 inches deep, and 12-24 inches wide. If you’re planting multiple plants, plant them 12 inches a part. I reccomend you stick to one lettuce plant per pot though.
- Dig a 4x4 inch hole in the new pot’s soil, turn your starting container upside down and gently squeeze the seedling in the soil until it slips out, place the seedling in that hole.
- Cover the base of the seedling with ½ inch layer of soil. Water frequently with short waterings to keep the soil moist and cool. Don’t soak it.
- Lettuce feeds heavily off of soil so feed it three times a week, mostly nitrogen.
- Plan to harvest your lettuce in the late spring or early summer in the morning (60 to 75 days).
- At this point, you want to pick the lettuce leaves (outer leaves) with the white ribs, leaving the inner leaves to grow. At 70 to 85 days when the leaves begin to form a tight cluster, cut off the plant completely at ground level before it goes to seed.
Tips/Facts/Uses:
- A few days of temperatures above 85 degrees F will cause your lettuce to wilt and bolt.
- When you cut into fresh lettuce, it will let out a milky, sticky white liquid. Do not be alarmed, this is a normal thing. The white liquid is what gives lettuce their taste.