How to Make a Indoor Lettuce Planter

Grow your own small crop of lettuce indoors any time of the year.

You can grow lettuce indoors in a planter of your choosing. Not only is it amazing to have fresh lettuce at your fingertips, it also makes an attractive and conversational indoor plant. If you have children in your home, it can also be an educational opportunity as they help you plant and care for your indoor vegetable crop. With just a few supplies, a bright sunny window and time, you can have lettuce growing in your home any time of the year.

Things You'll Need

• 18-qt. dishpan
• 2-ft.-by-4-ft. wooden boards, 2
• Cookie sheet
• Drill
• Paint or markers
• Potting soil
• Lettuce seeds
• Mister or handheld sprayer
• Kitchen scissors

Instructions

1. Choose the perfect spot in your home. A west-facing bay window that gets plenty of sunlight is an ideal location for indoor gardening. Your lettuce seeds, and the young plants, will need plenty of direct sunlight to grow well.

2. Create your planter by using a sturdy, 18-quart plastic dishpan. Drill 10 evenly-spaced holes in the bottom to provide drainage. Use the 2-foot-by-4-foot boards laid flat on either side of the pan to prop up the planter in the cookie sheet. This will catch the water as it drains out and will allow you to remove it as needed.

3. Decorate the outside of your new planter with paint or markers. If you have children, invite them to help you.

4. Place a few small rocks around the drainage holes so they do not clog with soil. Fill the planter with potting soil within 2 inches of the top rim. Add your lettuce seeds to the soil by laying them on top. You can place them 1 inch apart or scatter them over the surface since you will thin them when they are a little bigger. Cover the seeds with approximately 1/4-inch of additional potting soil.

5. Wet the soil gently with a measured cup of lukewarm water from your handheld sprayer. Put enough water on the seeds to wet them thoroughly without saturating them. Water them daily. When the plants start to shoot up, you can use more water. Ensure the soil continues to drain well by watching the tray below and empty it often.

6. Thin the sprouts after they grow their second set of leaves. This means pinching off overgrowth using your thumb and forefinger so they have no less than 3 inches between them.

7. Harvest your lettuce when it is approximately 1 foot tall. This will depend on the variety of lettuce you grow -- you will need to refer to the seed packet for information regarding its mature height. Use kitchen scissors to cleanly shear it within a couple of inches of the soil.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have a window that lets in a lot of sunshine, use grow lights instead in 12-hour cycles -- 12 hours on, 12 hours off.

• The five most common lettuce varieties are oak leaf, iceberg, tom thumb, cos and asparagus lettuce. Choose a variety that mentions "baby" or "little" in its name -- these are the best for indoor growing.

• In the beginning, do not over water the seeds. Too much water can damage the seeds and they may not grow. Use enough water to moisten the soil but with little to no drainage.

References

• Guide to Houseplants: Growing Lettuce Indoors