Every spring our body lacks vitamins. They can be replenished using early vegetable crops, such as Odessa Kucheryavets lettuce, the cultivation of which will not be difficult. Read more about this plant in the article.
Salad Odessa kucheryavets: description
Lettuce Kucheryavets Odessa belongs to mid-early semi-headed varieties. You can get a crop of tender leaves with a neat wavy edge already 65-75 days after planting. Its greens are juicy, slightly crunchy and have a great taste. During the growing season, a rosette with light green leaves grows from the seeds, the diameter of which reaches 35 cm. A single vegetable weighs from 180 to 210 grams. Salad Kucheryavets Odessa has a number of advantages:
- lack of characteristic bitterness;
- rapid growth;
- disease resistance;
- the possibility of sowing regardless of the season;
- not afraid of frost;
- harveststored for a long time.
Gardeners have long noticed the neat appearance of a leaf rosette. Many people plant Kucheryavets Odessa lettuce (there is a photo in the article) not only to enjoy delicious greens, but also to decorate their plot.
Useful properties of lettuce
Among its fellows, the Odessa kucheryavets stands out for its high content of mineral s alts. Lettuce leaves contain a lot of useful substances. The plant is especially rich in iron, so doctors recommend including lettuce in the diet to combat anemia. Equally important are the "building materials" for cells - calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur. Zinc, manganese, cob alt and copper have an antioxidant effect, promote skin rejuvenation and remove free radicals from the body. Potassium is responsible for maintaining s alt balance. The soft dietary fiber contained in lettuce leaves stimulates the work of all parts of the intestine. Vitamins A, C, PP and folic acid are not produced by the body on their own, but you can use Kucheryavets Odessa salad to replenish them.
In addition, its leaves are used to lower cholesterol, fight hypertension and diabetes. Useful greens have a diuretic, sedative and lactogenic effect.
Growing methods
Cultivate this wonderful vegetable in several ways:
- planting in a greenhouse;
- sowing in open ground conditions;
- growing on the balcony, windowsill.
Each method has its own advantages. So, with home cultivation, you can enjoy delicate greens all year round. Using a greenhouse, you will achieve an early harvest. Even a novice gardener will cope with breeding in the open field.
Crop planting dates
Since lettuce Kucheryavets Odessa can tolerate light frosts, it is sown as soon as the soil warms up a little. You can do this as early as mid-April. In order for useful greenery to be constantly available, plantings are carried out at intervals of two weeks. For early cultivation, lettuce has been planted in a greenhouse since March 1.
The cold resistance of the culture allows sowing before winter. For this, planting work is carried out in early November. So that shoots do not appear, the soil is thoroughly mulched with peat. With the onset of spring, the seeds will germinate and delight you with an early harvest.
At home cultivation can be carried out at any time of the year.
Preparing the beds
Salad Kucheryavets Odessa, which is grown in open ground, prefers diffused sunlight. With direct exposure to light, the bush will definitely release a peduncle. After its appearance, the leaves are not suitable for food, they become too bitter. However, too shaded plantings contribute to the accumulation of nitrates in the green mass.
The soil for sowing needs to be enriched with organic matter. It is advisable to apply fertilizer in the fall at the rate of a bucket per 1 square meter. The substrate must be porous, have a neutral environment. Preparedthe bed is not dug up, it is enough to loosen the soil well.
Technology of sowing in open ground, care, harvesting
Seed disinfection is the key to a he althy harvest. To do this, they need to be kept for 15 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. At the end of the procedure, the seeds are thoroughly washed and slightly dried.
Furrows are made in the prepared area in increments of 20 cm. The seeds are deepened by 1-2 cm. You can plant them in a continuous row, then you will need to thin out dense plantings. If sowing is carried out in increments of 15-20 cm, the rosette develops better.
Care is based on:
- weeding;
- loosening the soil;
- moderate watering.
With proper preparation of the substrate, you can grow lettuce Kucheryavets Odessa without additional dressing. As the heads form, you can harvest. This is done early in the morning. The cut socket does not need to be washed: it will quickly deteriorate. You can store the salad in the refrigerator, after wrapping it in a film. The product will stay fresh for a week and a half.
Useful greens on the balcony
Greens grown at home will make up for the spring lack of vitamins. The process itself is quite simple. Flower pots with a height of more than 10 cm can be successfully used as a planting container. To make a substrate, mix humus or peat, sand, garden soil in equal proportions. Do not forget about the drainage layer, the size of which should be at least 3 cm. In a filled containerrecesses are made in 2-3 cm increments. Place 1-2 seeds in each hole, cover them with soil and water abundantly.
In a week, timid shoots will hatch. For optimal growth and development, keep the temperature below 20 degrees. Watering is done as needed, only in the root zone. It is not necessary to use top dressing when cultivating a crop such as Kucheryavets Odessa lettuce. A photo of a stunning harvest obtained in apartment conditions speaks for itself.
Reviews and advice from experienced gardeners
Kucheryavets Odessa lettuce has gained great popularity among gardeners. Reviews of this early ripening culture indicate that it is very unpretentious in cultivation. The ability to quickly get a crunchy vitamin crop is very attractive. When cultivating on depleted soils, experienced gardeners recommend using natural organics as top dressing - mullein, compost, biohumus. If the soil around the bush is mulched, you can forget about the drying of the top layer and weeds. For home cultivation in winter, highlighting with special lamps will be required.
Choosing this variety of lettuce, you will get an excellent harvest in a short time. And the high decorativeness of the plant will make it a decoration of your table.
