How To Grow Lettuce Indoors

If you do not have enough space in your garden to grow lettuce, but still, you have to wish to taste them year-round. You can grow lettuce plants rapidly and easily indoors. Because lettuce thrives in room temperature conditions with direct sunlight, it adapts appropriately to indoor conditions and can live on with primary care. Even if you have got by no means grown a plant indoors before, all you need is well-known potting soil, water, fertilizer, and a grow mild or sunny window to assist your plant to grow strong. A month after planting, your lettuce plant will be geared up to harvest.

Here in this article, I will tell you how to grow lettuce indoors.

Planting lettuce indoor:

Here are specific steps you have to follow to grow lettuce indoors.

Selection of indoor lettuce variety:

Although most lettuce variety can stay healthy indoors, you may have higher success with some sorts over others. Buy any of these lettuce varieties which are recognized for developing properly inside, from a backyard core of plant nursery.

• Garden Babies
• Merlot
• Baby Oakleaf
• Salad Bowl
• Lollo Rosa
• Black-Seeded Simpson
• Tom Thumb
• Red Deer Tongue

Selection of space:

Take a stroll via your living space to decide suitable sunny spots, ideally, a region that gets 12 hours of vibrant sunlight every day. For lettuce, a south-facing window is best. Even better, a south-facing bay window. If you do not have adequate mild on a windowsill, grow your crop underneath lights. Specially designed systems tabletop grow lights are best for developing small plants of lettuce. Large mild gardens, such as our Vermont made sunlit system will accommodate even greater developing trays.

Your chosen location ought to additionally be a safe one. Pick a spot away from energetic heat sources and cold drafts and inaccessible to mischievous hungry pets.

Selection of container:

Flat pretty shallow containers with correct drainage are ideal. Another option includes 4-6” plastic pots or a multi-cell seed starting the machine. You can also recycle produce containers or take out dishes, some of which come with clear covers reachable for seed starting. Wash them nicely and poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage.

Garbage bag:

You will start by purchasing a gallon-sized black trash bag. You will need to snip to corners off of it so that it can have an in the generally rounded top. It makes the process easier. Then you will need to poke holes all in the garbage bag for the soil to drain properly. Next, you will want to fill the bag halfway with moistened potting soil. You will then sprinkle the lettuce seeds lightly into the bag.

Then you will favor finishing masking the seeds with the relaxation of the potting soil. Place the bag on a plate for it to seize any drainage. Your subsequent move is to gently spray water on the seed and use a lid to a pot to cover the top of the bag. It should not be a snug fit; however, now not too unfastened either so you would not lose too a whole lot heat.

Then locate the bag in a windowsill, or on a sunny spot on the counter. Over the next week, you maintain spraying the seeds gently. When germination has occurred, you will want to discover the bag. Finally, when the plant grows giant enough, you can harvest lettuce leaves properly on your counter at any time. It is that convenient to preserve steady lettuce growing in your window or on your counter.

Grow in a flower pot:

This is likely the most usual indoor way of developing lettuce. It is additionally extraordinarily simple. You will want to start by picking a favorite decorative flower pot. It does not have to be a high-quality giant, as lettuce roots are not very deep. Then you will favor filling the pot ¾ of the way with potting soil. Next, you will plant lettuce seeds in the pot. Because lettuce seeds are so small, it is important to have in mind that you will want to go lower back over the growth area when germination has befallen to thin it out.

After you have planted the lettuce seeds, you will need to fill the pot the rest of the way with potting soil. Then spritz the soil with water. Over time germination will take place, and the seeds will want to be thinned. As the lettuce grows, you harvest the leaves as needed.

Mobile salad garden:

This is probably my favorite growth option. I think it looks so nice and is very functional too. It is called The Mobile Salad Garden. So there is nothing fancy about how you grow lettuce in this salad garden. It has a planting station, and you will plant the lettuce seeds as I mentioned when planting it in a flowerpot. But what makes this set-up so great is that it doesn’t look out of place. You can place it virtually anywhere and it won’t be an eyesore.

Growing conditions:

Lettuce grows better at a temperature of around 65-70oF (18-21oC). Turn on the air conditioner or heater as wanted to hold your plants at an even, sustainable temperature. If the climate is warm or cool enough outside, you can pass your flowers outdoors periodically to get sparkling air.

Pot filling:

• For soil, select a planting to combine it is made for seed starting mix. Do not use garden soil or potting soil, which is often too coarse for seed germination. Seed starting mixes are lightweight, they help your plant roots to establish well. They are well-drained to forestall over-watering. If you cannot discover a seed beginning mix, you can additionally create a soil made from equal components peat moss or coir, vermiculite, and sand.
• Each lettuce plant requires a 4-6 inch (10-15cm) of space and a depth of about 8 inches (20cm). choose a pot that can accommodate these measurements.
• Purchase pots with drainage holes on the bottom. Place a saucer beneath the pot to trap draining water. You can buy seed beginning soil mixes from most plant nurseries, or backyard centers.

Sow seed with appropriate spacing:

Dig a 4-6-inch-deep hole and place your seeds inner at about 1 inch 2.5cm apart. Limit your seeds to 4 per pot to avoid overcrowding the lettuce as it grows. If you want to plant over four seeds, put together various pots ahead of time.

Cover the seed:

After sowing, take a handful of potting soil and gently sprinkle it over the newly planted seeds. Fill a spray bottle with water and gently mist the seed to keep away from washing them off.

Plant direct seedling:

If you do not wait for seeds to germinate and emerge out from the soil, you can plant lettuce seedlings instead. Use the identical approach as you would for lettuce seedlings, planting no more than four per pot. You can purchase lettuce seedlings at many plant nurseries or garden centers.

Place pot near the window:

Lettuce plant grows best with direct sunlight. If you are in a climate with very little sunlight, then buy a grow light from a plant nursery and position it approximately 12 inches overhead. Lettuce plant wants at least 12 hours of direct sunlight in a day, with 14-16 hours the preferred amount.

Keep in mind that plants are grown under a developed light commonly need greater time underneath the light than they would with natural sunlight. Aim closer to 14-16 hours rather than 12 hours if you are the usage of a developed light. 

Irrigation:

When they sprout, provide your lettuce at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water per week. Poke your finger in the soil once or twice a day and water your lettuce on every occasion the soil feels dry.

The soil needs to be moist however, no longer waterlogged. Another way to take a look at the moisture degree of soil is by lifting the pot. If it feels heavy, the soil is saturated with water.

Care of plant:

Lettuce plant leaves visibly wilt when they are thirsty. If your plants leave droop, water the lettuce until its soil is moist, however no longer soaking moist or waterlogged. The hotter the temperature, the extra often you will want to water your lettuce. 

Application of fertilizer:

Lettuce desires nitrogen-rich soil to grow, so spray liquid fertilizer on the plant three weeks after you planted it, or when the first leaves develop on the plant. Spray the fertilizer in most cases close to the soil, warding off the lettuce leaves to forestall burning them.

Use a liquid fertilizer. Granular fertilizer needs to be mixed into the soil. Organic alfalfa meal or a nitrogen-rich, slow-release fertilizer each work well with lettuce. You can also use fish or seaweed emulsion however they can emit a robust odor and are much less endorsed for indoor lettuce plants.

Harvesting of lettuce:

Harvesting is done by using the following steps.

Days to harvesting:

On average, lettuce takes about 30-45 days after you plant the seed to mature. Make a word on your calendar to start harvesting after about 30 days has passed.

Indoor lettuce plant grows and matures continually, so you can proceed to harvest your plant after you have got picked it for the first time. Mature indoor lettuce usually grows to about 4 inches tall.

Time to harvest:

Morning is when your plants most hydrated and at its strongest. If possible harvest your plant earlier than the late morning or afternoon to attain a healthier yield. If you cannot harvest in the morning, keep away from mid to late afternoon, which is when your plants least hydrated.

>> Read more on when is the right time to harvest lettuce<<

Cut outer leaves:

Do not harvest your indoor lettuce plant all at once. As lengthy as you proceed taking care of it, you can harvest it for several months. Cut 3-4 of the outer leaves at a time with backyard shears or scissors, leaving the rest of the plant to heal and grow back later. Avoid selecting the lettuce crown or center. Limit yourself to the outer leaves to increase its typical harvesting yield.

Second harvest:

Your plant requires about 2 weeks to heal and develop more leaves earlier than it is prepared to harvest again. After your first time harvesting, wait 2 weeks in between harvesting to maintain your plant healthy and able to grow more leaves. Wait at least two weeks earlier than harvesting young plants, which may take time to develop robust after being harvested. Sow new seeds every two weeks to extend your harvest.

Storing of leaves:

Depending on the variety, lettuce can be remaining anywhere between 3-10 days in the refrigerator. Check how lengthy your precise variety lasts for and after putting the lettuce in the fridge, design to use it via its expiration date. If you do not suppose you may use your lettuce in 5-8 days, wait a few days before harvesting your plant.

>> Related article on how to properly store lettuce<<

Hopefully, through this article, you will be able to grow lettuce indoors. Click here to read other gardening related  topics.