Summer Garden Series: Lettuce

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IMG_5135Lettuce is a key part of a garden, in my opinion – it lets you have fresh salads often which is an easy way to eat up all the other yummy vegetables grown in the garden. Most types of lettuce offer a variety of nutrients, and aren’t difficult to grow. I’m going to focus on how to grow, harvest, and use lettuce in this newest post in the summer garden series. 

 

In the South, lettuce can be planted in seeds or seedlings as early as February. The growing season is the spring and the fall – the heat of summer will make the lettuce bolt. Here in Atlanta, that means by the end of June most lettuce should be harvested.

Growing Lettuce:

  • In containers, plant seeds or seedlings – both are easy to grow in pots
  • If you’re starting from seeds, sprinkle seeds 1/2 to 1 inch apart onto smooth, moist potting mix. Gently press or cover with no more than an eight-inch of fine, light soil. Lettuce seeds need light to germinate.
  • If you love lettuce, plant about 10-12 plants per person
  • Lettuce needs 4-6 hours of sun
  • The soil dries out more quickly in containers than in the ground with lettuce, so keep the soil moist but not soggy by watering frequently
  • Once lettuce begins to bolt, be sure to finish what’s left then dig it up and plant vegetables. Lettuce can be re-planted in the fall, around September in the South.

Harvesting Lettuce:

  • From seedlings, I was ready to begin harvesting my lettuce after about 2-3 weeks. From seed, this can take about 45 days.
  • Cut the outer leaves off as needed – these will have the best flavor and will promote the growth of new leaves
  • You can harvest the entire head/stalk – the leaves that grow back may not take the same shape, but will still be edible

 Buttercrunch lettuce in my garden:

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 Romaine lettuce in my garden:

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 Mesclun mix lettuce  and red leaf lettuce in my garden:

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 Uses for Lettuce:

  • Salads
  • As a topping for sandwiches – burgers, grilled cheeses, etc.
  • Spinach and arugula are great in pastas 
  • Top your favorite pizza with arugula or spinach
  • In fresh juices – kale, spinach, romaine all pack nutrient-heavy punches for green juice
  • Make lettuce wraps with hummus, chicken salad or your other favorite filling

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