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| Leaf Lettuce |
There are different types or classification of lettuce: leaf, cos or romaine, crisphead, butterhead, and stem.
Leaf lettuce or also called loose-leaf lettuce has a loosely arranged leaves in stalk while the cos or romaine lettuce forms an upright and elongated head.
Butterhead varieties are small, loose-heading types with tender, soft and buttery-textured leaves exhibiting a mild, sweet, and succulent taste.
Crisphead lettuce or iceberg lettuce are round, compact with overlapping leaves. The outer leaves are greener compared to the inner leaves. It is denser compared to butterhead lettuce.
Stem lettuce are grown mainly for their thick stems and widely used in stews and creamy Chinese dishes. These variety are also called celtuce, asparagus lettuce, or celery lettuce.
Lettuce is a good source of nutrients like Vitamin K, Vitamin A, folate, and iron.
Is it difficult to grow lettuce?
Let me share with you how I grow a leaf lettuce in our garden.
At first, I tried growing lettuce from the stalk.
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| Growing lettuce from stalk |
After a few days, new leaves started to grow but after a week, the stalk became rotten. With this, I decided to grow lettuce from seeds. I bought a pack of seeds from the supermarket.
Since lettuce seeds are tiny, I planted lettuce through indirect seeding. Instead of a seedbox, I used small pots as their temporary growing media.
The seeds are sprinkled over the soil, cover it with a thin layer of garden soil, then water with slow stream ensuring that the seeds do not wash away.
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| Lettuce Seedlings |
Maintain moisture of the water by misting the seedbox with water daily. Germination of seeds will take from 7 to 20 days.
While waiting for the seeds to germinate and ready for transplanting, find for a place where the plants will get enough sunlight for at least 4 to 6 hours. It does not need to be in direct sunlight.
Next is the time to make your hands dirty. Prepare the soil where you are going to transfer the seedlings. I used ordinary soil mixed with sawdust. This will make your growing media moist all the time.
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| Soil mixed with sawdust |
Preparing the soil one week before transplanting is recommended.
Once the seedlings have already developed 4 to 6 leaves, they are ready to be transplanted.
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| Transplanted lettuce seedlings |
Dig holes of about 1 to 2 inches deep on the soil with about 4 to 6 inches apart. Transfer the lettuce seedlings in each hole. Having this spacing, when the leaves are fully grown, will cover the soil making the water retention longer.
Press the soil around the seedlings and water gently.
After several days, the leaves will start and continue to grow.
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| 7 days |
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| 14 days |
Mulching the soil with sawdust or rice hull will also help retain water.
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| 21 days |
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| 30 days |
And after about 45 days, the lettuce is ready to harvest.
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| 45 days |
Harvesting can be done by pruning the matured leaves and saving the stalk and let it grow continuously.
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| First Harvest |
After two weeks, another set of leaves can be harvested from the same stalk.
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| 2 weeks after the pruning the leaves |
Lettuce is disease and pest free plant but aphids, slugs, snails, and caterpillars love lettuce. Homemade insecticide can help control insects. Putting dry ash around the plant will help inhibit snail attacks.
Another condition that lettuce may encounter is tipburn. This is where the leaves started to brown and curl due to inconsistent moisture. To save the plant from tipburn, remove the browned leaves, and start watering consistently.
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