How to Grow Lettuce From Seed in Containers
Growing vegetables at home provides the satisfaction of producing organic produce at peak freshness. Lettuce that comes directly from your yard, patio, deck or kitchen counter offers the peace of mind of pesticide-free food. Choose natural containers, such as wooden wine barrels, rather than plastic pots. Sow lettuce seeds in spring and fall and watch your salad greens grow. Lettuces offer one of the fastest-maturing vegetable crops. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Containers with drainage holes
- Small rocks or gravel
- Organic potting soil
- Watering can with sprinkler nozzle
- Garden hose
- Hose attachment with mist setting
Instructions
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1
Rinse gravel or small stones.
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2
Pour gravel into the lettuce potting container to a depth of 1 inch. This improves drainage.
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3
Fill the container to within 2 inches of the top with potting soil. The container should have a 5-gallon capacity.
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4
Sprinkle lettuce seeds in a thin layer on the potting soil. It's fine to grow a variety of leaf lettuces in one container, such as red leaf lettuce and green leaf lettuce.
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5
Cover the lettuce seeds with 1/4 inch of potting soil.
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6
Water the lettuce seeds in the container gently. Thick or strong sprays of water will disrupt seeds and seedlings. Tilt the watering can slowly or use a mist setting on a garden hose sprayer nozzle. Keep the soil in the lettuce container moist to aid in seed germination.
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Thin the seedlings when the young plants reach 1 to 2 inches tall.
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Sow lettuce seeds two weeks apart for an ongoing crop of fresh lettuces from your container gardens.
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Tips & Warnings
Texas A&M University's website recommends Boston, Bibb, Romaine, Ruby, Buttercrunch and Salad Bowl lettuces for container gardening.
Snip leaves from young lettuces to use in salads.
Combine red and green lettuces for variety in salads.
Arugula, spinach and other greens grow well in container gardens and work well in salads with homegrown lettuces.
If fresh lettuce tastes bitter, store it in the refrigerator for two days before eating.
References
- Photo Credit leaf lettuce image by John Keith from Fotolia.com
