Whether lettuce, cut lettuce or picking lettuce, the various lettuce can be easily grown in the garden. You will achieve the best yields if you sow the plants in the cold frame or on the windowsill. This is how you succeed in preparing salad.
Salat
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a must in every garden. It is full of important vitamins and minerals, has a refreshing effect and tastes delicious. With our instructions, even beginners can grow it.
Among the most popular types of lettuce are:
- Endivie (Cichorium endivia)
- Eisbergsalat (Lactuca sativa var. Capitata nidus tenerimma)
- Eichblattsalat (Lactuca sativa var. acephala)
- Kopfsalat (Lactuca sativa var. Capitata)
- Cut and pick lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. crispa)
- Salad (Lactuca sativa var. Longifolia)
Cultivation from February
If you want to enjoy the fresh leaves as early as possible, you should prefer lettuce. This is easy to do on the windowsill with our instructions. You can start growing as early as February.
We recommend growing early varieties, for example
- Penthouse (Romanasalat)
- Calmar (Eissalat)
- German defiance (lettuce)
- Lollo rosso (cut lettuce)
- May king (lettuce)
- Winter Marie (lettuce)
Did you know that salad has only had a permanent place in German cuisine for about a hundred years? Today nobody wants to do without the healthy leafy greens.
Guide to Prefer
- Fill shallow bowls about two-thirds full with potting soil.
- Moisten the soil with water. Use a spray bottle.
- Lay the lettuce seeds 2 to 3 centimeters apart on the soil.
- Lactuca sativa is a light germinator . Cover the seeds only lightly with sand. We recommend sieving fine sand over the seeds.
- Spray the surface again with water.
- Cover the bowls with foil or glass.
- Place the seed trays in a bright window.
- Temperatures between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius are optimal for germination.
- Spray the shells gently with water daily.
- Prick out the seedlings after two to three weeks and place the seedlings in extra pots.
- The young plants can be slowly hardened off in mid-March. Place the pots outside during the day on warm days.
- Plant the young plants in the cold frame at the end of March or directly on the bed. Protect the plants from cold temperatures with fleece or plastic hoods. Water regularly.
site conditions
Lettuce plants need for good development
- humic, deep, low-nitrogen, not too dry soil
- sunny locations
- Row spacing 30 to 40 centimeters
- Plant spacing 30 to 40 centimeters
frequently asked Questions
Place three sheets of kitchen paper on a plate. Moisten the paper, it must not float in the water. Spread ten seeds on the paper. Cover everything with foil. Put the plate in a warm place. Be careful not to let the paper dry out. After a week, the first radicles should be visible. If fewer than five seeds sprout in this germination test, the effort is not worth it.
If you prefer lettuce on the windowsill in the spring, you will have a head start of about four weeks. Depending on the variety, Lactuca sativa takes around ten weeks to be ready for harvest.
Direct sowing outdoors is recommended from mid-April.
We recommend a mixed culture with radishes. This combination drives away the flea beetle, which can damage young lettuce plants. Other suitable mixed culture partners are: kohlrabi, beans, peas, garlic and marigolds. Do not plant lettuce varieties next to potatoes, celery or parsley.
