Lettuce is a great salad and an easy source of health benefits. Not only is the light greenish colour of the thick and broad leaves is attractive but also their plantings being easy have made it equally famous. Lettuce is one of the most common salad grown at home. These leafy ingredients can be used in sandwiches, tacos, wraps, smoothies and rolls. You can grow it in your garden or in the backyard as well as in your own kitchen. Lettuce are very good sources of vitamins specially vitamin K and calcium. All the more, raw leafy lettuce is great to increase the water content of your body. Lettuce can cause good vision and even regulates the sleep cycle.

There are varieties of lettuce available for growing in the garden. The most common lettuce variants are Romaine lettuce, Head lettuce, Celtuce lettuce and leaf lettuce. These types of lettuces have earned their names comically from their appearance. Likewise, the head lettuce looks like a head; it is round. This lettuce can be easily grown with little maintenance and in little salad gardens in the kitchen. Here in, we have included the easiest steps to grow lettuce.

Amazing steps to plant lettuce

 The perfect spot to grow lettuce

Growing lettuce needs very sunny spots. So, be it in the garden or in the home, try to find a portion which receives constant sunlight for at least four to five hours at a stretch. Try not to allow lettuce to be bare to scorching heat. The extensive heat might cause wilting of the leaves. All the more, the leaves might also get burnt. The excess sunlight will very soon kill the plant if not checked well in time.

The best soil for planting lettuce

The lettuce seeds should be spaced at a distance of seven to fourteen inches. A fertile soil is an ideal match for growing lettuce. The soil should be properly drained and should also be mixed with a thick layer of organic compost. The soil needs to be kept moist but not puddled. However, try to keep the soil loose so as to allow proper aeration. To retain the fertility and the nutrition of the soil, you can definitely try growing Asparagus, Parsnips, Corn and Beets. Keep in mind, never to grow beans, cabbage and peas with lettuce.

Plant in cool climatic conditions

Lettuce is not a great lover of high temperatures. It can grow in temperate and in cold climatic conditions. Plant lettuce seeds just before the first frost. The temperature range of 40 to 46 F is very much comfortable for planting lettuce. Keep in mind, in the extreme winters also, the growth of lettuce is hampered.

Lettuce needs regular watering

This salad plant is a great source of the hydrating the consumer’s body. Hence, to keep the lettuce hydrated, this plant too needs constant watering. The watering ought to properly checked. There should be no sprinkling of water on the leaves as it aids in the growth of fungus. All the more, do not let water to accumulate in the roots of this plant. This will lead to the rotting and the decaying of the leaves and the roots.

Watering can be done either regularly or in intervals; twice in three days. While watering these plants, remember not to water them in the bright sunlight. Always, water them either in the dusk or in the dawn. While growing indoors, keep changing the water in which the plant is made to grow; if using hydroponic method.

Proper pesticide sprays to be used

Usually, lettuce is disease resistant. However, for the proper upkeep and for precautionary measures, you can spray pesticides. Lettuce if at all gets infected, it gets so by the harbour of aphids. You can use neem oil and can also allow beetles to destroy aphids. It is always better to use organic substitutes. The occasional pesticide sprays can also cure the wilting of leaves and the leaf curls; if any.

Conclusion

Since, growing lettuce is so easy and feasible, hence as a salad, it can be grown. Lettuce even does not take long months and weeks to grow. While picking the lettuce, remember not to pick the darkened leaves in the outer whorl. Proper pruning and trimming can lead to regular growth and constant yield within a week or two. Lettuce also does not take up large acres of land. All it needs a sunny patch off land. Unlike other salads, it is primarily disease resistant. However, some variants might attract aphids. Proper usage of pesticides will surely keep the plants healthy and firm.

So, hopefully these amazing 5 steps mentioned earlier will support you tremendously to plant lettuce with ease in the vicinity of your own home.