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How can we keep growing lettuce year-round without spending $ 1000’ss on building a greenhouse?
You might think that growing your own lettuce means you need a large plot of land to plant your seedlings. But that’s not true!
Lettuce grows pretty rapidly, not needing much soil or space to grow. Additionally, lettuce grows well in temperatures we’re most comfortable with within the house. So long as you place your lettuce in a sunny spot, it will grow well.
I’m growing my own lettuce right now because it’s cheaper, tastes better, and I don’t have to worry about food poisoning. (I also save tons of money by not buying lettuce when I go out to eat.). From my experience, I know growing your lettuce is as easy as it sounds.
Today I’m going to walk you through the process of growing lettuce indoors.
3 Easy Ways to Growing Lettuce Indoor
#1: Making the Most of The Ends of Lettuce
The ends of the lettuce are the part that we don’t eat. But the problem is, there’s nothing to do with the lettuce ends except to throw them away. So, why not use them to grow a new one?
The most straightforward way to get started is to cut off the ends of your romaine lettuce and place them in a cup or container filled with water.
You can leave it in there for about a week or until new green growth appears from the cut end and roots begin to form at the bottom. Plant the newly-grown lettuce in a bowl or small pot of potting soil once the roots are 1 to 2 inches long. Watch your lettuce grow by keeping it watered and in a sunny window.
You can cut and re-grow lettuce several times.
It’s a fun activity, and you can make your lettuce salad with the new leaves.
#2: Lettuce Seedlings
You can also get lettuce seedlings at your local home and garden center. Depending on your area’s season, the stores usually keep them stocked in the spring and again later in the summer or early in the fall. Again, take a pot or a bowl and fill it with potting soil. You won’t have to wait long before you can start harvesting.
#3: Lettuce Seed
Additionally, you can plant any lettuce variety from seed. Visit your local garden center or order seeds online to find seed packets available year-round. Observe your lettuce’s germination time (and temperature) as well as the length of time it will take to mature.
In addition, knowing whether you can continue to harvest lettuce varieties or if you need to let them mature and gather, then replant them, is helpful. Make sure you start with something you can easily grow and maintain before branching out.
Best Affordable Pots to Grow Lettuce in Small Space
#1: Growing Lettuce in a plastic 5-gallon bucket
You don’t need a lot of space to grow your own lettuce. And growing in a pot is one of the easiest ways to do so. The best lettuce to grow in a pot is romaine because it doesn’t grow as tall as other types.
The most common type of pot to use for growing lettuce is a plastic 5-gallon bucket. You can get these buckets for free at any local hardware store or garden center. They are great for planting seeds and sprouting.
Once you have a bucket, remove the lid and make some holes at the bottom of the bucket for drainage. Place the bucket in a sunny window or on a sunny windowsill. You want your lettuce to be about 1 to 2 inches below the rim of the bucket. Fill the bucket with potting soil and water. Lettuce likes to grow in temperatures around 60°F, so make sure to keep the soil moist but not wet. It will grow quickly and should start to produce leaves within 2 to 3 weeks.
#2: Growing Lettuce in a Smaller Container
If you don’t have access to a big pot or bucket to grow your lettuce, you can grow it in a smaller container like this one:
Fill your container with potting soil and place it in a sunny window or windowsill. Water the soil daily until new green growth appears and roots begin to form at the bottom. Once the roots are about 1 to 2 inches long, plant the lettuce in a bowl of potting soil. This method is very similar to growing lettuce in a pot.
Final Thought
Lettuce is pretty easy to grow, but keep in mind that it can be challenging if you don’t have any experience with it. Since it doesn’t cost you much, you can feel free to play around with your pots and lettuce seed until you get what you want. Once you harvest your first few lettuce harvests and enjoy eating your own salad, you’ll be well on your way to expanding your lettuce collection.
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