Grow and Plant Salads Successfully – Easily grow your own salads!

Choose the right time to plant lettuce

The success of growing lettuce is largely based on the choice of the planting period.

Indeed, lettuce is a plant that needs a certain number of hours of light to grow well. Therefore, it is essential to plant your lettuce at the right time to guarantee an abundant and quality harvest.

Salad is generally grown year-round, but some varieties are better suited for certain seasons. Here are some recommendations for each season:

• Spring:  This is the best time to plant most varieties of lettuce. Cut lettuces, such as lamb’s lettuce, arugula or romaine lettuce, are especially suitable for this season. You can start planting from March to June.
• Summer:  Some varieties of lettuce tolerate high temperatures better than others. For summer planting, prefer head lettuce, batavia and heading-resistant cut lettuce. It is best to plant between May and August.
• Autumn:  Winter varieties of lettuce, such as lamb’s lettuce, purslane or chicory, are ideal for planting in autumn. You can plant them between September and November for a winter harvest.
• Winter:  Some hardy varieties of lettuce, such as lamb’s lettuce, can be planted in winter in regions with temperate climates. It is best to plant them in a greenhouse or under a protective tunnel to protect them from frost. The planting period extends from December to February.

Preparation of the land and choice of place

Soil preparation is an essential step to promote the growth of your lettuce.

Here are the different things to consider:

1. Soil type:  Lettuce is mainly grown in rich, light, well-drained soil. It is important to provide compost or well-rotted manure to enrich the soil with essential nutrients for plant growth.
2. Soil pH:  Lettuce prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil, with a pH between 6 and 7. If necessary, you can correct the pH of your soil by adding lime to increase the pH or peat moss to lower it.
3. The location:  Choose a sunny or slightly shady spot for your salads. Lettuce needs at least 4-5 hours of sunlight a day to grow well. Avoid areas that are overly exposed to wind, which can damage the leaves and cause bolting.
4. Crop rotation:  To avoid disease and pest problems, it is recommended not to grow lettuce in the same place for at least 3 years. Choose a rotation with root vegetables or legumes.

Sowing or planting lettuce seedlings.

You have two options for planting your lettuce: sow it in the ground or buy seedlings in pots.

Here are tips for success with each method:

1. Sowing in the ground:  make furrows approximately 1 cm deep and 30 cm apart. Sow lettuce seeds, spacing them 2 to 3 cm apart in the furrow. Cover the seeds with soil and water lightly. Thin the plants when the first leaves appear, leaving a space of 20 to 30 cm between each plant.
2. Planting seedlings in pots:  Buy lettuce seedlings in pots, ready to be planted. Dig holes 20 to 30 cm apart, place the plants in the holes and cover with soil. Tamp lightly and water thoroughly.

It is also possible to sow in a box or terrine indoors, then transplant the plants into the ground when they have developed their first true leaves.

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