Lettuce is one of the most popular vegetables in culinary arts and is used in salads and several other dishes. Hence, wouldn’t it be great if you could simply harvest one from your own garden? This will ensure the freshness of the lettuce while also saving you cost from having to buy them off the grocer.

Different Types of Lettuce Varieties

There are four basic varieties of lettuce and it is important to recognize each one of them since it requires different growing conditions. Each one is listed and described briefly below:

Butterhead:

This variety of lettuce possesses a creamy center to it. It also has a milder flavor as compared to other varieties but takes a lot more time to mature. This is the type of lettuce often used in making salads.

Romaine:

This variety comes with crunchy leaves and is characterized by its upright cluster of leaves. It takes between 70 to 85 days in order for this variety of lettuce to fully mature. Like the butterhead, this is also a popular ingredient for salads.

Crisphead:

This is another familiar variety and requires cool weather for growing. Of all varieties of lettuce, this one takes the most time to grow and requires specific conditions. You know when it’s ready if the outer leaves possess a yellowish-green color.

Leaf Lettuce:

This one requires less restriction in order to grow fully well. Unlike the romaine lettuce, this one comes with loose bunches of leaves. It is most suitable for warm weather.

There are also different varieties of lettuce according to the season in which it is grown:

1/ Summer varieties –

This refers to lettuce plants that are grown under hot conditions. However, make sure you choose an area for growing lettuce that is well-shaded.

2/ Spring lettuce –

This is more challenging to grow than the summer varieties. If you are living in a mild area, make sure to sow the lettuce seeds in an area that gets an adequate amount of sunlight. Make sure to have proper drainage to the soil surrounding your lettuce plants.

Soil Requirements

Summer is the best time to grow lettuce because of the rich, humous-laden soil quality. The ideal soil condition is at pH 6.5, so you can test the soil before growing the lettuce to produce better quality lettuce. It is often grown alongside other slow-growing plants, such as broccoli or Brussel sprouts. Since lettuce thrives in moist conditions, make sure to regularly water the lettuce to moisten up the soil.

A Process of Sowing Seeds

An important thing to take note of when sowing lettuce seeds is to sow at the position where you intend to grow them. Avoid moving lettuce plants, when possible. You can plant these seeds at seedbeds or boxes, ideally 2.5cm above the ground.

Observe the proper distance between plants, roughly around 8-16 inches apart. This will provide enough room for each plant to grow without any disruption.

Time Periods

Take note of the following information to avoid harvesting lettuce immaturely:

Expected germination time for lettuce:

For hot weather conditions, it can happen around 6 to 12 days.

The time between sowing and harvesting:

It depends on the variety of lettuce you are trying to grow. For butter or crisphead lettuce, they take the longest amount of time from 8 to 14 weeks. For looseleaf varieties, it takes about 6 to 8 weeks in order to be ready for harvest.