However, salad lovers can grow lettuce indoors, all winter long. Depending upon available sunlight, even urban gardeners can raise a steady supply of your favorite greens on a windowsill or beneath grow lights.
How do you grow lettuce indoors all year long?
How to Grow Lettuce Indoors for Fresh Salad Greens Year Round
- Seed starting or potting mix.
- Shallow pots, flats, or seed starting containers.
- Lettuce seeds.
- Fluorescent or LED light fixture with bulbs (optional)
- Watering can or unperforated flat.
- Humidity tray (optional)
- See full list «
- High-nitrogen plant food.
Can you grow lettuce indoors during the summer?
Conclusion. Growing lettuce as an indoor gardening project is an easy, inexpensive way to keep a continuous supply of fresh lettuce on hand. Cooler indoor temperatures keep plants from bolting and turning bitter, making indoor growing a great alternative to hot summertime conditions.
Is lettuce easy to grow indoors?
It’s easy to grow
Lettuce is a fairly simple indoor crop to grow and care for, so growing lettuce indoors is as well. There are a couple ways you can do it — either hydroponically or from seeds in a pot.
How do you grow lettuce indoors in the winter?
Bright grow lights or bright daylight window
If your natural light is dim in winter, provide supplemental lighting for baby greens. The full spectrum grow light should be placed about 4″ above the top of the leaves. I use lights to grow lettuce indoors in January, when the natural light is lacking.
What kind of light do I need to grow lettuce indoors?
Take a walk through your living space to determine suitable, sunny spots — ideally, a place that gets 12 hours of bright light each day. For lettuce, a south-facing window is best. Even better: a south-facing bay window. If you don’t have enough light on a windowsill, grow your crop under lights.
Does lettuce grow well in heat?
Lettuce seeds germinate poorly in warm summer soil since heat may cause seed dormancy. Lettuce may bolt in response to the stress of high temperatures, and the leaves may become bitter as the plant puts its growth into flowering (see photo at right).
How often do you water lettuce in pots?
twice a week
Lettuce has shallow roots, so plants need consistent watering. Check at least twice a week and water if the soil is dry down to 1 inch deep. Containers of lettuce need to be watered more frequently than garden beds, especially in the summer.
What temperature does lettuce grow indoors?
60-70°F
What temperature? Lettuce bolts (goes to seed) quickly in hot weather, but because you’re growing lettuce indoors, you do have control. Cool to average room temperatures of 60-70°F/16-21°C, with a 10°F/6°C drop at night, will keep seedlings growing steadily. Don’t use a heating mat for the seedlings.
Can I grow lettuce in winter?
Winter Lettuce
Varieties of winter-hardy lettuce can keep cropping during any mild spell in winter, then again from early spring. Winter lettuces are hardy, tenacious and tasty!
Does lettuce need full sun?
Soil, Planting, and Care
Although lettuce grows fastest in full sun, it is one of the few vegetables that tolerates some shade. In fact, a spring crop often lasts longer if shaded from the afternoon sun as the season warms. You can grow lots of lettuce in a small space, even a container.
How deep of a container do you need to grow lettuce?
Your pots should be at least six inches deep and have a drainage hole in the bottom. The ideal containers depend a bit on the lettuce variety you grow because the necessary space will vary. You can either direct sow your lettuce seeds in the pot or transplant seedlings into your pots.
What veg can you grow indoors in winter?
Lettuces, arugula, spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are also easy to grow indoors, though you’ll have more luck harvesting them as baby greens, rather than trying to grow them to maturity. Sow a new batch of seeds every few weeks to maintain a ready supply.
When should I start lettuce indoors?
Start lettuce indoors 4 weeks before transplanting; sow or transplant lettuce into the garden as soon as the soil can be worked. Seed germinates in 2 to 10 days at or near 70°F (21°C)—but sometimes seed can take up to 2 weeks to germinate if the soil is cold.
Is an indoor garden worth it?
Indoor gardens are only worth the investment if they can produce healthy herbs, flowers, or other plants, such as leaf lettuce. To accomplish that—if they’re hydroponic—they must keep the pods consistently moist until the seeds germinate and also provide an ample amount of full-spectrum light that mimics sunlight.
Can you leave grow lights on 24 hours a day for lettuce?
Allow a little space between each seed. Water each container thoroughly and keep the soil warm. For best results, place the planters under a light for 24 hours a day.
Can I grow lettuce with LED lights?
Lettuce grows remarkably well under LED lighting. Today’s LED lighting is an effective, productive and energy-efficient tool to consistently increase production.
Can lettuce get too much light?
Too Much Daylight for Lettuce Plants
Their leaves will toughen and turn bitter, their sap will become milky, and they’ll put up a central seed stem. At that point, unless you’re planning to save seed, you should simply pull the plants and harvest any usable leaves that remain.
How many hours of light does lettuce need?
Lettuce prefers a location with 5 to 6 hours of sun, but can benefit from afternoon shade when temperatures soar. Soil should be loose, well-draining, and moist but not soggy.
Can you grow lettuce on a windowsill?
You don’t need to have a greenhouse or even a propagator to grow your own salad leaves. You can sow salad leaves indoors on a sunny windowsill.
What is the most heat tolerant lettuce?
Butterhead lettuce is usually known for being among the most heat-tolerant and bolt-resistant of all the lettuce types.
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