Category: Vegetables

While lettuce is susceptible to many issues, they’re usually not life-threatening to the plant. Bacterial Leaf Spot. If you find your lettuce starts to develop brown or black spots on the leaves and then dies off or they struggle, you probably have bacterial leaf spot. Damping Off. Fusarium Wilt. Rust. Why is my lettuce dying? […]

How to Grow: Lettuce is a cool-weather crop that thrives in the temperature range 60-65 degrees F, and if thoroughly hardened, most varieties survive temperatures as low as 20 degrees F. Cold-adapted varieties survive much lower temperatures. Seed germinates best at about 75 degrees F. What temp is too cold for lettuce? Lettuce may cope […]

To harvest high-quality salad greens almost every month of the year, you need to maintain a ready supply of young transplants. The only way to do it is to sow a pinch or two of seeds every week, either indoors or out. Start seeds indoors when it’s either too cold or too hot outdoors. How […]

Some safe garden fodder choices for what to feed chickens that are locked up in their chicken run would be: sunflower plant heads and leaves; bolted lettuces, spinach and arugula; the tops of radish, beet, turnip or other greens; or most herbs (e.g. oregano, bee balm, lovage, etc.), though not all herbs are safe. Is […]

Iceberg lettuce can be harvested once it forms the pale round head familiar from the supermarket. Ideally, you’ll pick the lettuce when the outer leaves are pale green, before they turn brown. If they do change to brown, or a flowering stalk appears, harvest immediately. What does leaf lettuce look like when it’s ready to […]

If you just have a few lettuce heads to save seeds from, the paper plate method is for you. Clip off your lettuce head from the stalk, and rub the dry flower heads between your fingers over a paper plate. The seeds will pop right out and fall onto the paper plate. Voila! How do […]

You can easily trim bolted lettuce with gardening shears or with a sharp knife, but since the lettuce will be bitter to eat, it’s best to just pull the plants out. You can then replant if it’s early enough in the season. Can lettuce regrow after bolting? Q: Will bolted lettuce regrow? A: Bolted lettuce, […]

Once leaves begin to appear and they are about 4 inches (10 cm.) long, you can begin harvesting leaf lettuce. Simply snip either single outer leaves or grab a bunch of them and cut them with shears or scissors an inch (2.5 cm.) above the crown of the plant. Where do you cut lettuce to […]

Fortunately, both wilted and bolted lettuce are great to cook with, and will work alongside, or replace, leafy greens in any dish that calls for them. Bolted lettuce can sometimes be a little bitter, but, like chicory, it’s also wonderful barbecued, pan roasted or in a cheesy gratin. What can I do with bolted lettuce? […]

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 […]

When leaves curl or ‘cup’ at the tips and the margins, the plant is trying to retain moisture. Any form of downwards curling usually indicates overwatering or overfeeding. How do I stop my leaves from curling? In order to avoid curling leaves due to soil that is too soggy, always allow the top inch or […]

“Any bacteria or other contamination on the greens that they may have picked up in the soil during picking and handling, etc. is going to thrive in a damp environment, and that will make the greens wilt and spoil faster,” she told Insider. She also said a salad spinner is useful when it comes to […]

To keep your lettuce alive for even longer replant it in a new pot with fresh nutrient-rich soil. Often the pots lettuce comes in will be too small, so planting in fresh soil in a larger pot will help it survive for longer. How do you regrow living lettuce? Here are the steps to growing […]

Lettuce plants will continue to produce new leaves until the plant begins to flower and make new seeds. When mature plants begin to set lettuce seed like this it is called “bolting” in gardening circles. When you see this happening — a sturdy seed stalk will emerge from the center of the plant — stop […]

Harvesting heads of lettuce is done by cutting them away from the stalk when the head is still firm. Use a sharp knife and simply make a clean cut below the head through the stem. The outer leaves may be removed if needed. Morning is the best time for the harvest as heads will be […]

Maximum water use by lettuce is approximately 0.15 in. of water per day, but can vary depending on location and time of planting. Does lettuce use a lot of water? Lettuce needs a lot of water. In fact, overwatering is something you rarely have to worry about with regard to lettuce. This popular vegetable prefers […]

But removing the air is exactly the opposite of what lettuce needs. Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture, in order to stay crisp. That’s why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it’s held in the fridge. What keeps […]