Lettuce refers to annual vegetable plants. It has a large number of healing properties, contains vitamins B, A, PP, C, trace elements such as molybdenum, iodine, manganese, copper, boron, and iron. In most of the country, the vegetable can be grown throughout the year: in summer, autumn and spring in the open field, and in winter in a protected area. The undoubted advantage of the plant is that it is one of the first to give its vitamin greens and at the same time feels great both in the garden and in a pot on the windowsill.
Culture characteristic
Lettuce, which does not require much effort to grow, is a cold-resistant crop. The optimum temperature for vegetation is the range from 16 to 18 degrees. In warmer temperatures and dryer climates, all the plant's vigor can go into bloom. The most widespread are leaf and head salads. Their leaves can be whole or dissected, serrated or smooth, heads of cabbage are rounded or rounded flat. Lettuce, the cultivation of which in the ground is notrequires special preparation, ripens in 25-40 days after the first shoots.
Soil for lettuce. Outdoor cultivation.
Lettuce grows best in places where potatoes and cabbage were planted last year, especially if organic fertilizers were applied to the soil. Lettuce, the cultivation of which does not require special soil preparation, nevertheless does not accept brackish, clay soils. However, in general, the plant is unpretentious. The increased content of humus and mineral fertilizers in the soil will only improve germination.
Salad. Growing from seeds
Lettuce seeds are sown very early - in late April - early May. Such early varieties include lettuce Zabava, Yeralash, Credo, Dubrava. Sowing must be carried out in an ordinary way. Maintain intervals of 20 centimeters between rows, and one and a half centimeters between seeds. Germination of seeds occurs already at a temperature of +2 degrees, the most active growth at a temperature of +20 - +22 degrees. Harvest in the open field can be obtained from June to September, when using a film - already in the month of May. Lettuces that require a lot of light to grow are long day plants. During the growing season, it is extremely important to provide the plant with the necessary amount of moisture. If there is not enough moisture, lettuce leaves will become coarse, and the vegetable itself will lose most of its beneficial properties.
Salad cleanup
Harvesting is carried out 30 - 40 days from the date of emergence. Partiallyyou can collect leaves and when thinning the plant. For head lettuce, a longer ripening period is characteristic - up to 70 days.
Growing from seedlings
To grow lettuce from seedlings, a cassette or pot is used, since the seedlings do not tolerate damage to the root system. A seedling peat tablet should be planted shallow enough to rise a centimeter above the main soil, as the lower leaves may rot or become infected with fungus if planted deeper. This method is most acceptable for growing head lettuce varieties.
