Grow salad at home

The salad contains a huge amount of nutrients. Therefore, many lovers of this greenery want to grow it not only in their summer cottage, but also at home. Is it possible to grow lettuce from seeds on a windowsill at home? This will be discussed further.

Is it possible to grow lettuce on a windowsill

Lettuce can be grown at home as well. Both in winter and summer. But this plant at home requires a lot of attention.

For his growth needs a lot of sunshine... On short winter days, it needs additional lighting. If there is not enough light, it begins to bloom early. Does not tolerate drought, heat. In this case, the leaves become bitter. Beginners should not take on growing head forms in an apartment. They are very moody.

This is an early maturing culture. To constantly have greens at home, it must be planted 1 time in 10 - 14 days.

The best varieties of lettuce to grow at home

Batavia is the most suitable salad variety for an apartment

The most suitable variety for an apartment is considered Batavia... In grocery stores, it is most often sold.

It grows even without additional illumination. Can withstand short-term drought, high air temperatures.

The most famous varieties for cultivation on the windowsill:

Lollo rossa
Emerald lace
New Year
Lollo bionda
Vitamin

Lolla rossa is distinguished by its brown head, curly light green leaves. Counts the most vitamin... It has a delicate taste.

Lolla bionda - the most beautiful... The leaves are wavy. Yellow-green color. The taste is pleasant, bitter with a nutty flavor.

The apartment also grows watercress... This is a moisture-loving plant. The best varieties for the windowsill:

curly;
pepper;
broadleaf;
ordinary.

Broadleaf watercress

Choosing a container for sowing and preparing the soil

The roots of the lettuce do not go deep into the soil. Large containers are not needed to grow it. Better to choose a plastic pot. The capacity should be volume of 1-2 liters... Depth - 10 - 35 cm. Depending on the variety. There should be holes at the bottom of the container.

The soil can be purchased at the store or used garden soil. Acidic soil is not suitable for planting. Better option - a mixture of sod land, humus, sand... Another option is garden soil, coconut fiber, vermicompost. The ratio of the latter two is 2: 1.

For sowing, it is necessary to use drainage: pebbles, expanded clay, broken brick, small stones.

When using garden soil, the soil should be disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The soil is filled into the pot, not reaching the edges of 2.5 - 3 cm.

Some varieties can be grown without soil... One of them is watercress. For cultivation, they use such improvised materials as a sponge, cotton wool, paper.

Some lettuce varieties can be grown without soil - on paper or cotton wool

Sowing seeds

Before sowing, seeds are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate. Time is 2-3 hours.
A drainage layer is placed on the bottom of the pot.
The drainage is covered with earth. Watering.
Make a groove. Depth - 5 mm... Distance between rows - 10 cm.
Seeds are placed in the groove. Fall asleep with a small amount of earth. Slightly compacted.
Cover the container with a bag - create a greenhouse effect.
They are placed in a dark place.
When the first shoots appear, the bag is removed. Transferred to the windowsill.

The first shoots can be seen after 4 - 5 days... You need to protect it from direct sunlight. On bright sunny days, it is necessary to shade it - the leaves can burn.

The salad loves warmth. For its good growth, a temperature of 17-21 degrees is required. During a strong drop in temperatures outside, the container with plants should be removed from the windowsill.

Culture needs thinning... This is done 2 times:

After 1 week, as the first shoots appear; Leave a distance of 1–2 cm between them.
When 2 true leaves are formed; Distance - 4-5 cm.

If the lettuce grows densely, you will not be able to get a good harvest.

Lettuce needs to be thinned twice

Watering

Watering should be abundant... With insufficient soil moisture, arrows begin to form earlier than usual. Watered with settled water 1 time in 1 - 2 days.

If the container is on the south side, more often. In winter - less often. It is impossible to moisturize the soil too much - the roots and lower leaves will begin to rot. The air in the room should be humidified. The leaves are sprayed with water from a spray bottle.

Top dressing

Feed Once every 1.5-2 weeks... Fertilizers are suitable for indoor plants. It is a fast growing culture. If fertile soil was chosen for planting, it grows well without them.

You cannot apply a large amount of nitrogen fertilizers - lettuce is capable of accumulating nitrates. If you use a potassium iodide-based top dressing, you can get a plant with a lot of iodine in the composition.

Lighting

Light-loving plant. In winter, in short autumn - spring days, you need to use additional lighting - fluorescent lamps. They need to be turned on for 2 - 5 hours. Hang it at a height of 50 - 60 cm above the plant.

Daylight hours when growing lettuce should last 12-14 hours

In total, daylight hours should last 12-14 hours... It is impossible to highlight during the day. The greens need to rest.

If it is not possible to add additional lighting to the plant, it is best to plant it at the end of winter.

Loosening

Lettuce has very fragile, superficial roots. Loosen the ground under the seedlings it is forbidden.

Harvesting

Greens grow quickly. It can be harvested over a period of several weeks. They are plucked by the roots or the outer leaves are torn off... Arrows form after 3 to 5 weeks. The plant is removed. Other seeds are sown in its place.

Experienced gardeners plant salad every 10 days... 40-50 grams of greens are obtained from one plant. But it all depends on the variety.

Lettuce can be grown both outdoors and at home. But when planting it in an apartment, you need to remember that it requires daily care.

This is a moisture-loving plant. The soil should always be slightly damp. But excess moisture can kill him.
The best place is a windowsill on the south, southeast side. It is impossible to grow it without enough light at home.

Growing fast. Doesn't take up much space. But you need to choose the right variety for the pot.

3 Methods: Traditional Planting Method 2: Fast Method Transplanting Lettuce

Oddly enough, growing lettuce indoors is easy. The lettuce produces a short but bountiful harvest and requires minimal maintenance: regular soil for houseplants, water for irrigation and sunlight are all this plant needs.Lettuce is so easy to grow that you can even ditch the pots and containers and just plant the seeds in the soil in a plastic bag.

Method 1 Traditional fit

Training

Choose a salad variety that is suitable for potting. Lettuce grows best at home, especially those varieties with the word "small" in the name.
Find a medium sized plastic container.
The lettuce has a shallow root system, so there will be plenty of room for it in a small pot. Plastic is more suitable than clay because clay walls absorb moisture, taking it out of the soil, which makes it dry faster.
- If you decide to use a ceramic pot, cover the walls with a plastic bag. Punch holes in the cellophane so that water can drain through them.
- Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. When watering through them, excess water will drain into a saucer under the pot. This will also allow you to make a so-called watering tray, and this is the way of watering that suits the salad best.
Clean the pot. Be especially careful if another plant has grown in this pot before, as bacteria and insect eggs from old soil can move onto the roots of the lettuce. It will be enough to wash the pot of soap with warm water, but you can mix 9 parts of water and 1 part of bleach and rinse the container with this mixture.
Take all-purpose potting soil. Lettuce is a very unpretentious plant, so the most common soil is needed. But do not use garden soil, as bacteria and insects can live in it, which will pose a threat to the salad.
Fill the pot with soil. The earth should cover almost the entire pot, but not completely. Leave about 2.5 cm to the edge of the pot.
Sprinkle some seeds in your left hand if you are right-handed, or in your right if you are left-handed. The lettuce seeds are very small, so the pinch will be small.
Take the seeds with the thumb and forefinger of your other hand. You don't have to try to collect all the seeds at once - a small amount will be enough to start.
Sprinkle the seeds over the soil. Try to spread them evenly over the surface, but don't worry if they end up far apart.
Repeat the process until you have scattered all the seeds.
Cover the seeds with soil. The top layer should be no thicker than 5-8 millimeters. If you add too much soil, the seeds will not have enough sunlight, which they need in order to germinate.
Spray the seeds with water from a spray bottle. The soil should be moderately moist.

Care and harvest

Sprinkle the seeds with water in the morning. The soil must be moist all the time, otherwise the seeds will not germinate. Germination should occur within 1 to 2 weeks after sowing.
Water the lettuce every other day to help maintain the moisture level in the soil.
Depending on how warm and light your home is, lettuce may need to be watered more or less frequently. Check the soil regularly by immersing your finger in the ground 1.5 to 2 centimeters. If the ground feels dry, water the salad again.
- Try placing the pot in a watering tray. Let water seep into the pot through the holes in the bottom and saturate the soil. This method of watering will prevent root rot and the spread of fungal infections.
Place the salad in a cool place. This plant is best suited to room temperature (16 - 21 degrees Celsius). To simulate natural conditions, lower the temperature to 6 degrees at night.
Place the seedling pot in the sunniest spot in your home. In order for the lettuce leaves to grow large and strong, the pot must be exposed to the sun for at least 14-16 hours a day.
Buy a fluorescent plant light. If the salad does not receive enough sunlight, place the pot under the lamp at a distance of 10 centimeters and leave it there for 14 hours daily. Remember to turn off the lamp after this time, because the plant should not be exposed to light 24 hours a day.
After the second bunch of lettuce has grown, pluck out the weakest sprouts.
Leave about 7 centimeters between the remaining tufts to give them enough room to grow.
- Do not throw away those seedlings that you uproot from the ground. Plant them in separate pots and keep growing or eat them. Small leaves taste almost indistinguishable from full-sized leaves.
Apply a mild fertilizer if desired. Lettuce can grow without additional support, but if you mix the fertilizer in half with water to reduce concentration and apply to the soil, the yield will exceed your expectations. Apply fertilizer to seedlings every 7 days for three weeks and then discontinue use.
Cut the leaves as needed, or all at once.
Small leaves taste almost the same as large ones and can be safely eaten.
- Once the leaves have grown to the size you want, start cutting them from the outside. Leave the inner leaves to ripen.
- If you want to cut large leaves, the ripening time will take 4 to 6 weeks. Cut or pluck the leaves one at a time, starting with the outer ones. Lettuce that has reached its maximum ripening point produces seeds, so it is important to cut it before this happens to prevent the lettuce from becoming bitter.

Method 2 Method 2: Fast way

Cut the corners in a large plastic bag and punch a few holes in it. The holes should be small enough to keep soil from spilling out of the bag, but large enough to allow excess water to drain out.
Fill the bag with soil about three quarters. Moisten the soil beforehand.
Place the bag on a stand or plate. Excess soil and water can escape through the holes in the bag, and this will stain the windowsill if you choose to place the bag directly on top of it. Make a special tray to avoid dirt.
Take a few dozen seeds in your left hand if you are right-handed and in your right if you are left-handed. Then, using your thumb and forefinger of your other hand, start sprinkling the soil with seeds.
Cover the seeds with soil. This layer should not be thicker than 5 millimeters, as otherwise the seeds will not have enough sunlight.
Spray the soil with water. There should not be too much moisture, as otherwise the seeds will float in a puddle, and water mixed with the earth will start pouring out of the holes.
Cover the package. If you leave it open, heat and moisture will come out, and if you close it tightly, the air inside will become musty. Leave a small air hole on one side and close the bag completely on the other.
Leave the bag on the window, where there is always a lot of sun. Artificial light can be used by placing a fluorescent lamp over the bag. Even if you grow the lettuce in a bag, the plant still needs 14-16 hours of sunshine daily.
Open the bag after the seeds begin to germinate. The sprouts should appear within a week. Continue to spray the soil with water and provide enough light for the sprouts.
Pull off the leaves as they grow. The salad will reach full size in just a few weeks. Cut off the outer leaves first, and then move on to those on the inside. Do not wait for the leaves to grow very large - this method of growing does not involve the same leaf size as a normal planting.

Method 3 Transplant lettuce

After picking off all the leaves that you are going to eat, place the rest of the plant in a glass mold and add a little water there (just a couple of centimeters of water at the bottom will be enough).
Place the dish where the lettuce can receive enough sunlight (on a windowsill or under a lamp). New leaves will begin to grow within a few days.
Change the water every other day.
Cut the leaves as needed. Of course, you won't grow a whole bush, but the new leaves will be enough for one serving of vegetable salad or sandwich.

Tips

If you have children, plant a salad with them. It is so easy to grow this plant that a child can cope with it with a little help from parents. You can start with the second method as this will make the salad grow faster and will be easier to plant.

Warnings

When adding fertilizer to the soil, do not accidentally fall on the leaves. Apply the solution to the soil only.
Thoroughly rinse all home grown vegetables and fruits before eating.

What do you need

Lettuce seeds
Plastic container or pot
The soil
Plastic bag with clasp
Scissors
Spray
Unconcentrated fertilizer
Lamp for plants
Garden knife or scissors

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Garden greens are rich in vitamins and various nutrients. It is used in various salads, in first and second courses, as well as to decorate festive dishes. But, if in summer there are no problems with where to get fresh greens, then in winter it is much more difficult to get greens. And the prices in stores in winter "bite".

Unfortunately, lettuce, unlike, for example, parsley or dill, is not stored frozen. But this plant lends itself well to growing at home. It does not require much effort and cost.

Choosing a salad variety

In order to get greens at home in winter, it is best to choose its leafy varieties. Lettuce on the windowsill can grow even at low above zero temperatures, and it does not require very deep containers, since it has a superficial root system. Before planting a salad at home, you need to purchase its seeds of a suitable variety. Early ripening varieties are especially good choices for growing houses on the balcony. When choosing a variety of lettuce to grow at home, it is also worth noting varieties that are resistant to lack of light. Below are examples of lettuce varieties suitable for growing in the winter at home on the balcony.

We advise you to read

Early ripening varieties of lettuce:

Snowflake;
excitement;
golden ball;
zorepad;
the ball is crimson.

Lettuce varieties that are resistant to lack of light:

ballet;
emerald lace NK;
celtic.

Containers or pots?

To use this growing technology, plant seeds are needed that can be grown in pots. Watercress on the windowsill is the best option, since this particular type of plant is well suited for growing at home. You can use other lettuce salads as well. It is best if the word "small" is present in the salad variety.

The root system of the lettuce does not penetrate deeply into the soil, so lettuce can be grown in shallow plastic containers or pots. It is best to choose plastic pots and containers, as clay products absorb moisture, thereby draining the soil and causing the surface to dry quickly.

How to grow salad in ceramic pots?

Just like in plastic, only the walls of ceramic products need to be covered with plastic bags, in which holes are made in advance to allow water to drain. Drainage holes are required at the bottom of the pot or container. When watering is carried out, excess moisture flows into the saucer, which creates optimal conditions for the life of plants.

Planting lettuce seeds at home

Buy a standard soil mix for your plants. You can, of course, use a mixture of garden soil with humus, turf and sand, but if you want to grow salad without fuss, you do not need to fantasize, coming up with ways to disinfect such soil.Avoid using soil directly from your garden, as it always contains bacteria and insects that can damage your crops.

Fill the pot with soil high, but not all the way to the top. You should leave approximately 2.5-3 cm of empty space between the soil surface and the edge of the container.

Articles about indoor and ornamental plants

Sprinkle the seeds on top - with a pinch, as if salt it. Try not to plant too much in one place, but you don't need to worry too much about how far apart the seeds are. Subsequently, the seedlings will still have to be thinned out. You can, if the size of the container allows, poke holes in half a centimeter with your finger and throw seeds into them, or make even grooves - do as you like.

Sprinkle soil on top, covering the seeds with a layer of 0.5-0.7 cm. If you use more soil, the seeds will not be able to get the light they need to germinate.

Salad care at home

In the future, the care of crops consists in maintaining soil moisture and controlling the temperature in the room. At the same time, please note that soil moisture should not turn into waterlogging, otherwise the plants will begin to rot. Watering should be carried out by sprinkling every 2 or 3 days, it depends on the ambient temperature. The optimum temperature for the growth of lettuce is considered to be 16 - 20 ° C, although on a loggia during spring (mid-April) sowing, plants can ripen perfectly at 6 - 7 ° C. The elevated temperature and dry air of apartments have a negative effect on the culture, and therefore it is recommended to periodically spray lettuce leaves and more often arrange ventilation for crops on the windowsills. In the phase of 2 leaves, the seedlings are thinned at a distance of at least 8 cm. The torn seedlings can be planted around the edges of containers with tomato or cucumber seedlings, using the lettuce as a sealant plant.

Lettuce grows rather quickly under suitable conditions, building up a ready-to-eat leaf mass within 2 to 3 weeks. Ripe leaves of watercress are cut and used for food, they grow again after root feeding with mineral fertilizers. Other lettuce salads are uprooted, shaken off the ground and stacked vertically in boxes or baskets in one layer for storage. It is recommended to store them before use under a film in a dark place at a temperature of 1 - 2 ° C ..

How to grow watercress on a windowsill using soil or sawdust?

In a room, you can grow watercress in the usual way using commercially available greenhouse potting mix or sawdust. Since the root system of watercress is relatively small, for planting, use dishes no more than 7 cm high.The dish is filled with soil or sawdust (it is advisable to pre-steam them in a water bath), the seeds are sown to a depth of about 0.5 cm, the distance between the rows should be about 10 cm, moisturize well. After the first shoots appear, the container is transferred to the windowsill, the temperature is maintained at + 8, and when shoots appear, it is increased to + 10 ° C. Seedlings need to be thinned, the distance between rows should be at least 5 cm.

Watercress is a moisture-loving culture, so it needs to be watered often, but without fanaticism, excess moisture also harms the plant, like overdrying the soil. When the first pair of leaves appears on the plant, it is time for feeding: dilute 2.5 g of urea in 1 liter of water, pour the watercress with this solution. After 14 days, the plant is fed a second time: take superphosphate - 2 g, ammonium sulfate - 1 g, potassium salt - 1.5 g, dilute it all in a liter of water.

The first harvest of lettuce can be cut after 10 days, the bulk of the leaves ripen about 18 days after sowing. Watercress is usually cut 2 times. After the plant reaches a height of 10-15 cm, it is removed.In this way, you can grow watercress even in winter, for this you just need to stock up on seeds.

Check also our articles

How to grow salad at home video

In recent years, the demand for greens has increased dramatically at any time of the year, primarily due to trends in a healthy lifestyle and the struggle for your body. Moreover, growing greenery on the window when snow is flying outside the window and there are frosts is not so difficult as it seems at first glance. One of these plants can be a salad, which will provide you with the vitamins and minerals you need during the winter. The vegetable belonging to the Aster family is widespread in all corners of the planet, having many varieties and varieties. How to grow salad at home? We will talk about this in our article.

We decide on lighting and temperature

The place where the lettuce will be grown should be well lit, but it should not be exposed to direct sunlight. If the lighting seems to be insufficient, then it is best to organize the backlighting with fluorescent lamps. Their height should be at least 50-60 centimeters from the container with plants.

If this happens in the off-season, then it is necessary to transfer the salad to the loggia, where there is a lot of fresh air. Landings will easily transfer the temperature regime of 8-10 degrees above zero.

The optimum temperature for growing lettuce is 18-20 degrees, if it is higher, then the plant will start to go "in the arrow", so in the hot summer months it should be shaded.

to the content ↑ Capacity for growing lettuce

The best container for planting at home will be a box with a depth of at least 12 centimeters, and the dimensions should be more than half a meter.

Such a capacity will not allow the soil to dry out quickly. The plant is very fond of moisture, if its deficiency begins, then the salad becomes sluggish and gives very little greenery, flower stalks grow, and the leaves become bitter and become tough.

It is best to lay the bottom of the box with a landscape cloth to keep moisture better when watering. The tank must be supplemented with high-quality drainage. For this, the bottom is laid out with small pebbles or shards from a broken clay pot. If there are several large boxes, it is recommended to place a tray under them so that the moisture does not go away too quickly. The best material for a planting container at home will be a plastic product, due to the fact that after watering terracotta loses moisture too quickly and the plant begins to dry out.

to the content ↑ Soil and fertilizer for plants

When planting a salad at home, a number of rules must be followed. One of them: the soil must be nutritious and thoroughly mixed. Such a mixture is usually prepared from sand, peat and humus. The first two components are taken in single proportions, and there should be twice as much humus. You can purchase specially adapted soils, for example "Biogrunt" or "Universal".

To ensure an uninterrupted harvest, it is best to sow the plant at intervals of 10-14 days. Removing all the greens, the plant is simply pulled out, loosened and water the soil in order to grow the next batch of green salad.

Usually, the growing lettuce is not additionally fertilized. But after harvesting the first crop and planting the next, you need to feed the soil with ammonium nitrate. You can also use mineral fertilizers, the main thing is that the root system does not get burned.

to the content ↑ Selection of seeds

This plant can only be grown from seeds. You can buy them at specialized kiosks or through the online store. An important condition will be to choose the right variety for planting.

Often, novice gardeners do not lend themselves to cultivating a plant because of the wrong variety. The best option for growing at home will be quickly ripening leafy varieties.For example, you can buy salad "Amanda", "Noran", "Quick", "Yellow". Such varieties of it are not too picky about light, watering, soil. They grow quickly, producing lush greens that can be eaten three weeks after planting in the ground. But head lettuce, on the other hand, is very picky about light, temperature and the distance between plantings. If he doesn’t like something, he may not tie himself into heads of cabbage at all.

Often they also take watercress for planting. It is unpretentious and grows in almost any soil, it can be grown with minimal light. Its most optimal varieties are "Curly", "Pepper".

back to content ↑ Growing salad from seeds

In order to sow seeds, it is necessary to water the soil abundantly, ramming it and plant it at a short distance from each other. Planting in rows is also possible, it is enough to make a distance of 12-15 centimeters between them (watercress), a little less for lettuce 6-8 centimeters.

After sowing, the seeds are covered with a minimum layer of soil (about a centimeter) and sprayed with a spray bottle with warm, but not hot water. Watering of plantings is done on average in three days. And when the first shoots sprout, the boxes are placed under the lamps for better lighting.

After that, the salad does not require careful maintenance. It is only necessary to loosen the soil after watering and water it so that the earth does not dry out. You should not expose the temperature in the room to changes, the plant does not like this. It should be noted that with all the love for moisture, the salad does not tolerate waterlogging, in such conditions the root system rots. Usually the plants are watered every two to three days, if the heat is not on the street, then this is quite enough. If it is more than 30 degrees outside, then the plant must be sprayed every day, and the room must be often ventilated.

When a plant produces two leaves, it must be thinned out so that the distance between them varies from eight to ten centimeters.

On average, lettuce can build up its green mass in two to three weeks. The ready-to-eat lettuce leaves are then cut and used to add salads, snacks and sandwiches.

After the green mass has fully ripened, the old seedlings are uprooted and new ones are sown in their place.
Salad is usually harvested after about eight leaves appear, otherwise the late greens become coarse and tough, and lose their taste.

It is best to pluck the green mass when there is a minimum of moisture in the air, otherwise it quickly begins to rot. If it is stored outdoors for no more than 24 hours, and in the refrigerator for no more than half a month. It is important to remember that you need to rinse it before doing this. Only the leaves are washed without touching the roots, otherwise the roots will rot. It is not necessary to pluck the entire plant completely, you can simply cut off the green mass. In this case, new leaves grow in place of old leaves and lettuce gives fresh leaves longer.

back to content ↑ Salad and its types

Leaf lettuce. The taste of this salad is fresh, the plant has curly leaves that wither quickly and have delicate juicy greens. It is usually used fresh in cooking.
Cabbage lettuce. Visually similar to leaf lettuce, and on the veil are collected in heads of cabbage. Greens have a delicate texture, so it is better not to tear them and lay them whole on a dish when serving.
Ice salad. Visually similar to cabbage heads, its leaves are light green. Crunches well. The taste is bland, ideally needs to be added to salads with herbs. The name comes from American farmers. He was sprinkled with ice so that he would not sluggish on the way.