By growing your own vegetables at home, you can not only save money, but you are guaranteed that it is organic. Organic foods are chemical-free and grow in compost-rich soils. To cultivate an organic garden you just need a few gardening tools and the knowledge necessary to take care of the plants. Lettuce is one of the "organic" vegetables that you can consider; you can learn how to grow it without the use of pesticides or fertilizers and enjoy its nutritional benefits directly from your garden.
Steps
Step 1. Prepare the soil for planting
Make sure it has a pH between 6.0 and 6.8; the soil must also be well-drained, very nutritious and rich in compost or seasoned manure. The lettuce plant grows well in soils with a consistent amount of nitrogen, so apply blood meal or liquid compost to the soil before adding the seeds.
- If you are unsure of the pH of the soil, you can purchase a kit from garden centers. You have to collect a sample of soil, put it in the container provided with the kit and add a specific number of drops of the chemical present in the package; shake the container for the indicated time and compare the result with the color code table provided.
- You can also contact the laboratory of some universities to test the soil at their facilities; these are often paid services and are not always available, but you may get more accurate results.
Step 2. Dig a small channel in the soil and bury the lettuce seeds
This plant has a short root system, so it is not necessary to plant the seeds too deep; you can bury them at 5-25 mm.
Step 3. Cover them with about 1.5 cm of soil
Add an extra layer of about 7.5-10 cm of organic compost or mulch; both are able to keep the seeds moist and prevent weeds from developing.
If you are planting several varieties of lettuce in your garden, space the different species at least 3.5m apart to avoid cross-pollination
Step 4. Thin out the seedlings when they begin to develop the first true leaf
You simply have to tear off a few seedlings to give the others room to spread. The leaf lettuce must be spaced 10 cm from each other, while the head lettuce should have a distance of about 15-20 cm from the adjacent one.
If you are growing organic head lettuce, such as iceberg, aim to space it about 30-35 cm from other vegetables, while you should leave about 10 cm between each individual leaf lettuce plant
Step 5. Collect the vegetables when the outer leaves are about 6 inches long
This way, you can be sure that the plant can survive after removing the leaves; once they are long enough, you can use your hands to tear them off anywhere on the stem. Keep picking them until all that remains is the central stem; the moment of harvest can take place even 80 days after sowing.
If you are harvesting head lettuce, cut the head 2.5 cm from the ground; in its place a new one will be formed
Step 6. Keep pests at bay organically
Lettuce attracts rabbits and some other creatures, such as snails, aphids, and cabbage worms; you need to spray the vegetables again after each watering or rain.
- To remove rabbits, mix 2 tablespoons (30 g) of cayenne pepper, the same number of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of liquid detergent and 600 ml of hot water; shake the mixture and let it sit outdoors for a day, then sprinkle it on the lettuce leaves.
- To treat other pests, you can use a snail trap and purchase ladybugs that feed on aphids. Snail traps can be made with bowls filled with old beer; as they are attracted to this drink, they approach and drown. For cabbage worms, you can prepare a mixture with 1 part of vinegar and 3 parts of water; add a tablespoon (15 ml) of liquid detergent and put all the ingredients in a spray bottle; spread the solution over all leaves to get rid of pests.
Advice
- Water the vegetables regularly; if they dry out too much, they acquire a slightly bitter taste.
- If you have limited space or can't grow a vegetable garden, you can plant lettuce seeds in baskets or other hanging containers lined up along the windowsills.
- Lettuce is a cool season vegetable, meaning it thrives when temperatures are low. You can start planting the seeds when it is 2 ° C; seedlings tolerate a slight frost well, but if the temperature drops below -3, 3 ° C, you need to cover them otherwise they die.
- If you want to get a steady harvest, plant new seeds every 10-14 days; you can continue planting and growing seeds until temperatures turn cold.
- If the weather is too unpredictable or you find it more comfortable, you can start growing the seeds indoors; bury them at the same depth as if you were to put them in the garden, but place them in pots for sowing with potting soil. You can move the seedlings outside once they begin to sprout and the climate remains stable with no risk of further frosts.
