How to plant lettuce in open ground with seeds and care for it. How to grow lettuce in the countryside in open ground

Literally everyone loves greens. Lettuce leaves are also extremely popular and healthy, as they contain many microelements and vitamins. Salad is a source of fiber, which has a positive effect on digestion. It is for these reasons that every summer resident tries to grow a plant on his plot. When to plant lettuce in open ground in the spring of 2019? Exact dates for different climatic regions will help to sow seeds in a timely manner.

The agricultural technology for growing lettuce is simple; no special care for the plant is required.

When to plant lettuce in open ground in the spring in the middle zone?

Nutritionists have long recommended including lettuce leaves in every person’s diet. Plant fiber is a breeding ground for millions of bacteria in the intestines. By eating lettuce leaves, we provide the bacteria with the necessary nutrition, and they, in turn, release vitamins through fermentation. Our body receives many useful substances thanks to the well-coordinated work of bacteria.

Growing lettuce is very easy. The plant is cold-resistant and tolerates short-term, nighttime drops in temperature. However, if the temperature is expected to drop below -5 degrees, it is recommended to cover the crops. In the southern regions it is not necessary to organize a shelter, which makes the task easier when growing lettuce.

You can start sowing seeds in open ground in central Russia in the second ten days of April - early May. The plant develops well at temperatures above +10-15 degrees. When the snow has cleared from the site, it is time for preparations. If a summer resident wants to harvest all summer, sowing work is repeated every 10 days. Before this, the planting material is treated with the drug “Fitosporin” to destroy pathogens.

When to plant lettuce in open ground in spring according to the lunar calendar?

More and more summer residents, when planting plants, are guided not only by the weather, but also take into account the phases of the moon. It has been noticed that sowing on a waxing moon has a positive effect on seed germination, growth and development of crops. We suggest you find out when to plant lettuce in open ground in the spring of 2019 according to the lunar calendar:

April – from 6 to 18;
May – from 6 to 18;
June – from 4 to 16;
July – from 3 to 16;
August – from 2 to 14;
September – from 1 to 13.

With a long growing season, lettuce leaves become bitter and tasteless. Such plants are removed. In order to have greens throughout the season, seeds are sown every 10 days in the required quantity. The bed must be freshly dug and the soil fertilized with organic matter.

Lettuce leaves are an excellent raw material for preparing delicious fortified dishes. Today, there are hundreds of species and varieties of this crop, so choosing seeds for planting can be a difficult task for a gardener or. Let's look at the best lettuce varieties for open ground - photo with description.

Main varieties of culture - description and photo

Salad is divided into the following groups:

Leaf salad. It produces only leaves that may have smooth and notched edges. Growing this type of crop can be done in several stages. The downside of leaf lettuce is that it cannot be stored for a long time.

The photo shows lettuce leaves

Stupid salad. It has a stem covered with delicate leaves with a wavy edge. The advantage of this variety is the ability to gradually harvest leaves.

Pickled lettuce in open ground

Stem salad. Consists of a fleshy stem and rough leaves. Both go into food. Russian gardeners are little familiar with these varieties. The main positive difference is high productivity.

In the photo, a rare stem (asparagus) salad for our summer resident

Roman salad. This is a group of head and half head lettuces with excellent taste. Rarely grown by Russian gardeners. Rough oval leaves grow on a vertical rosette.

Roman lettuce in the garden

Head lettuce. The leaves of varieties of this group are tough, but juicy and oily. Heads of cabbage can have different sizes.

The photo shows a head of lettuce

The best lettuce varieties for open ground

Let's move on to consider specific varieties of each type of salad, recognized as the best among gardeners. These are the most delicious and productive varieties that do not require special care. We have prepared for you not only the names and descriptions of each of them, but also visual photographs that will help you with your choice.

Lettuce for OG - favorite varieties

Excitement. Highly decorative variety. Almost never gets sick. Gardeners and farmers in the description note its excellent taste and high marketability.
Kudryavets Odessa. An excellent variety of lettuce, known to many summer residents. Resists coloration well. The leaves are juicy and elastic.
Bona. A medium-ripening variety with a large rosette. Valued for its excellent taste and the ability to reap a rich harvest. Planted in open ground in spring or summer.

Pictured is the Curly Odessa salad

Sandwich. An ideal salad for sandwiches in terms of taste. Valued for its increased vitamin and mineral composition.
Raspberry ball. The variety is characterized by very juicy wavy green leaves with crimson splashes.
Kitara. A new variety with a high degree of protection against diseases and bolting.
Lollo Rosa. An incredibly tasty variety that can be used as a decorative element.

Variety Lollo Rosa in open ground

Ruksai. Late ripening lettuce, 20 cm high. Leaves are oily, slightly purple. Maximum weight - 400 g.
Levisto. A plant with slightly curly leaves filled with juice. Excellent resistance to diseases and aphid attacks. Grows well in open ground and shelter.

Lettuce variety for open ground - Ruksai

Breakdown salad for OG - popular varieties

Abracadabra. High-yielding variety with smooth, cut, oily leaves. It survives adverse conditions well.
Ballet. A lettuce variety famous for its resistance to low temperature and low light conditions. Can sit for a long time without loss of quality. Suitable for spring cultivation in open and protected ground.
Mercury. Mid-season variety with large reddish leaves and excellent taste characteristics.

Popular lettuce variety Canyon: maximum weight in the description - 700 g

Canyon. Mid-season variety with wavy and cut leaves. Disease resistant lettuce. Tastes similar to the cabbage variety. Maximum weight - 700 g.
Barbados. The leaves of the variety are dark red, folded. For open ground only.
Gascony. A mid-early variety of lettuce for open ground with wavy and heavily cut leaves. Protected from diseases. Maximum weight - 550 g.

Variety Gascony

Stem lettuce for OG - the best varieties

Driver. A plant with gray-green leaves that are not dissected at the edges. The lettuce variety is characterized by high yield.
Svetlana. Mid-season variety. The total weight of one plant (leaves + stem) is 800 g. The harvest can be stored for a long time.

Svetlana is a variety of stem lettuce that, judging by the description, can be stored for a long time

Dandy. A late-ripening variety with dense, low-bubble compacted leaves with smooth edges. Resistant to color and temperature changes.
Treasures One of the most popular new varieties. It is characterized by high marketability and drought resistance.

The photo shows Dandy variety salad

Parisian. The rosette is large, raised. The head of cabbage is loose, oval. It is best to grow this variety in open ground in the summer-autumn period.
Balloon. Large rosette with dense leaves.
Roger. Produces green crispy leaves of high quality.
Limpopo. Early variety, resistant to flowering. The leaves are slightly wrinkled and tender.

Limpopo - lettuce variety for open ground

Head lettuce for OG - the best varieties

Stone head. One of the best varieties, characterized by a small and very dense head - weight up to 100 g. The leaves are wavy, uncut.
Large cabbage. The leaves are very tasty, wavy, bubbly, dense. Recommendation for growing: in spring in open ground. The weight of the head of cabbage is 500 g. It is stored for a long time.
Major. A highly productive variety with light green leaves edged with red.

The photo shows iceberg lettuce for open ground

Iceberg. A new variety, resistant to bolting and excellent taste.
Yetty. The ripening period is medium, the head is dense and large. It is recommended to grow it in open ground at any time during the sowing period.
Dude. An early vitamin variety that forms a half-head.
Senator. The variety is high-yielding, unpretentious, heat-resistant, with excellent taste characteristics.

Leaf lettuce is rich in vitamins and other beneficial substances. Therefore, they include it in the diet of therapeutic and dietary nutrition. Fresh leaves improve the taste of summer vegetable salads and are a good garnish. On store shelves, fresh salad of various types arrives daily. Buying is not difficult. But everyone knows that the healthiest greens are grown on your own plot, without adding fertilizers. Therefore, we will learn to grow leaf lettuce ourselves.

The best varieties of lettuce for open ground

Lolla Rossa- early varieties of leaf lettuce, from germination to technical ripeness 40-50. Has increased resistance to premature flowering. During growth, it produces many corrugated leaves of burgundy color. The plant is erect, up to 20 cm in diameter. Tall. Cut greens are suitable for salads and other dishes.

Moscow greenhouse- an early ripening variety of lettuce. From germination to the first cutting of greenery, 30 days pass. Forms a powerful rosette of delicate leaves, light green in color, weighing up to 110 grams. The leaves have good taste (juicy, tender, without bitterness). Great for decorating dishes, preparing salads and sandwiches.

Dubachek– one of the well-known varieties of leaf lettuce of medium ripening period. From sowing seeds to harvesting – 40 days. It forms oblong leaves of light green color with a diameter of up to 30 cm. The weight of one plant is up to 90 grams. After cutting, it quickly grows green mass.

Mercury- an original mid-season variety of leaf lettuce - 55 days pass from germination to cutting. Leaf with a reddish anthocyanin tint. Soft and delicate to the touch. The rosette reaches a height of 27 cm and a width of up to 31 cm. Very productive - the weight of one plant is up to 450 grams. Due to their original appearance, the leaves are used as a decoration for salads.

Mercury salad. Photo

Abracadabra- mid-season leaf cut lettuce variety. You can start harvesting 60 days after germination. Rosette up to 40 cm in diameter with wavy edges weighing up to 450 grams. The leaves are bright green, soft and juicy. Pros: color resistance. It grows without problems in unfavorable conditions.

Lettuce grows well with other greens. Read articles about growing parsley and dill. Perhaps this information will be useful to you.

When to plant lettuce

Planting begins in early spring, when there is a stable above-zero temperature outside, day and night. In the Urals and Siberia, lettuce is usually sown in the garden no earlier than the beginning of May. In more southern regions, you can start a little earlier - at the end of April.

Planting dates can be determined using the lunar calendar. They list favorable and unfavorable days. All you have to do is choose a good day. If there is no calendar, they rely on the phases of the moon. Like all tops, lettuce is sown during the waxing moon. Not allowed during the full moon or new moon.

Gardeners practice the seedling method of growing lettuce, which allows them to get the harvest 3-4 weeks earlier. Organize beds or containers for lettuce in the greenhouse around mid-April. Planted when the threat of spring frosts has passed - in the last ten days of May.

Good to know. Early varieties of lettuce ripen in 30 days. Therefore, in order to have fresh lettuce from the garden all summer, it is recommended to plant every 2-3 weeks until the end of July.

Preparing a site for growing leaf lettuce

But in order for the greens to grow juicy and tasty, it is advisable to create favorable conditions for growth in the garden.

Lettuce, like any greens, loves sunlight. Grows well in a garden bed, with good lighting and protection from strong cold winds. The more daylight, the better. In the shade of large trees or buildings, plants develop poorly.
The plant likes moderate soil moisture. If there is a choice between a lowland or a hill, then preference is given to areas with a hill. In lowlands, where moisture accumulates after rains, plant roots may rot.
The culture grows well in neutral, fertile soil with drainage. Add a little humus or compost to poor soils. And for heavy ones, river sand is added for digging. Acidic soil is neutralized by adding crushed lime or dolomite flour.
To make it more convenient to care for plants, it is recommended to form narrow beds, no more than 80 cm wide. In a bed of 1 meter or more, it is difficult to reach the greenery and weed out the weeds.

For more information about growing lettuce in open ground, watch the video:

The best predecessors for salad are tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage and peppers. Greens get along well with radishes, radishes, onions, cabbage, cucumbers and beans. It does not grow well with beets, as its foliage creates shade.

Sowing seeds in open ground

Seeds germinate faster in moist soil. If the soil is dry, water it abundantly from a watering can, per 1 square meter, with at least 10 liters of water. When the moisture is completely absorbed into the soil, proceed directly to planting.

Lettuce seeds in a plate. Photo

In the garden bed, grooves are made with a depth of no more than 1 cm, leaving a gap of at least 20 cm between them. The grooves are shed with water and the seeds are sown at a distance of 1-2 cm. The grooves are sprinkled with light soil, for example, a mixture of compost and garden soil. Water generously.

In windy weather, a crust forms on wet soil. It is difficult for seedlings to break through the crust. Therefore, it is advisable to cover the bed before germination with a non-woven covering material. Under cover, creates a favorable environment.

Care

To get a large harvest of fresh herbs, you need to properly care for the plants:

Water the lettuce bed regularly. Especially in dry and hot summers. In cloudy and rainy weather, there is no need to water. Use water slightly warmed in the sun. Therefore, it is advisable to keep a barrel of water in an open place on the site.
Fertilizers applied to the soil in autumn or spring are sufficient for leaf lettuce. But it wouldn’t hurt to feed with herbal infusion or mullein. Fertilize at the roots so that the fertilizer does not fall on the leaves.
Combine soil loosening with weed removal. Weeding is carried out in the evening, after watering. From dry soil, weeds are pulled up without roots and then begin to grow again.
When planting densely, thinning is carried out during growth. Pull out excess plants from the ground in the evening after watering.

By following these simple care rules, you can always enjoy delicious lettuce leaves and get a lot of vitamins throughout the summer.

Even a gardener with minimal experience can cope with planting lettuce. The crop will bear fruit when planted in a greenhouse, in an open garden bed, or when grown on the windowsill of an ordinary city apartment. You need to know when to plant lettuce in open ground conditions, varieties, planting dates, soil requirements, and temperature conditions. Leaf lettuce is a frost-resistant crop. Its seedlings can withstand temperatures down to -4 degrees. Adult plants remain green at lower temperatures - up to - 8 degrees. However, such indicators are extreme.

The optimal temperature for the variety ranges from 15-20 degrees above zero. This regime will allow the plant to develop properly and delight the summer resident with tasty shoots, even when grown in open ground. The culture loves humidity. Sufficient watering will allow its leaves to maintain special juiciness and produce a good harvest in open ground conditions.

When to plant lettuce - soil requirements

It is better to prepare open ground for sowing lettuce in the autumn. Before planting, the soil needs to be dug up and loosened. Loosening is an important procedure when growing crops. This is due to the root system of the plant.

If possible, it is good to add organic fertilizers: chicken or cow manure.
You can use previously fertilized beds for planting lettuce in open ground.
The plot remains in this form until spring. Leaf lettuce is well planted in slightly alkaline soils, as well as in areas with a neutral acid reaction.
It is not advisable to plant lettuce in heavy clay or saline areas. This will lead to the death of the plant. Choose a sunny location for future planting. In the shade the plant develops poorly. Otherwise it is quite unpretentious.

When to plant lettuce - lettuce planting dates

When to plant crops in open ground? The salad has one peculiarity: when the plant is grown for a long time, the leaves become bitter. Therefore, it is correct to periodically replant the plant, just like radishes. The optimal time for sowing seeds is the end of April. In unfavorable weather conditions, you can plant the crop in early May. Leaf lettuce seeds germinate when the ground temperature is +5 degrees. Therefore, from the moment the snow completely melts, you can prepare for planting.

The seeds are planted on a previously dug bed. The soil should sit for two days before planting. Seeds are sown in furrows, the distance between which must be at least 15 cm. A distance of at least 4 cm must be left between plants. Seeds should not be planted deep. This way the leaves will appear faster, and with them the first harvest. The plant has good germination. Usually the first shoots appear on the third day.

When to plant lettuce - growing lettuce seedlings

Some gardeners, in order to quickly get a harvest of lettuce, prepare seedlings for planting. In this case, the sowing time is shifted to March. Seeds are planted in a container with fertilized soil. You can use separate cups and peat pots. When to plant seedlings in open ground? It is transplanted into open ground after 20 days. The seeds are still sprouting well. The plant does not like transplanting, so care must be taken.

When to plant lettuce - variety of varieties

There are different varieties of lettuce. For early ripening plants, the growing season can be up to 40 days. Among the varieties you can choose for open ground, for planting in a greenhouse and even on a windowsill.
In open ground it is better to grow varieties such as:
Emerald;
Golden ball;
Rizhsky;
Odessa curlytail;
Changing the credo.

Plants of these varieties are unpretentious in care. The following are suitable for greenhouses:
Moscow greenhouse;
Lollo Rossa.

The lettuce harvest is obtained at home. Moreover, it can be sown throughout the year in open ground. Seeds and seedlings are suitable for this purpose. In winter, additional lighting is required. You should remember to maintain the distance between lettuce plants. Varieties that are perfect for sowing in an apartment:
Changing creed
Odessa,
Lolo Bionda.

When to plant lettuce, lettuce care features

A good harvest of lettuce is quite easy to obtain. Caring for a plant includes three mandatory actions: watering, loosening, and removing wild herbs. Watering should be timely, in sunny weather once a day. In cloudy weather and there is no rain, the crop must be watered at least twice every seven days. This should be done in the evening after the sun sets below the horizon. Watering must be done from a watering can, which will evenly moisten the soil.

In order to ensure good aeration of the root system and better nutrition of the plant, the soil must be loosened in time. Then all the nutrients will reach the leaves. Due to the early maturity of the crop, it does not need to be fed. It is better to fertilize the soil in the fall or spring immediately before planting.
It is necessary to pull out weeds between plants in a timely manner so that they do not overwhelm the crop. If various diseases develop on the leaves, the bush must be removed from the garden bed. This will prevent the spread of infection to healthy plants. It is not recommended to use chemicals to control pests. There are traditional methods for this, for example, garlic infusion.

When to plant lettuce - storage features

With proper care, lettuce can be harvested fairly quickly. Sufficient lighting, good watering and after a few days you can enjoy the first leaves. When the leaves reach a length of 6 cm, they are cut off. It is better to harvest in sunny weather, which will ensure its long-term storage. You can pick the leaves, then the salad will continue to grow. The salad is left in the refrigerator. Room temperature is bad for picked lettuce. It dries out quickly and deteriorates.

Leaf lettuce is easy to care for. However, a beginner in gardening will be helped in growing this crop by some useful tips:
Certain varieties are suitable for growing in the garden;
To better warm the soil before planting, use a covering material to cover the future bed;
Seeds should be planted at some distance from each other;
Also, the ground should be covered after sowing, which will promote rapid growth;
To increase succulent leaves, timely watering is needed.

Leaf lettuce is gaining an increasing number of supporters. This is due to the many advantages of this culture. The leaves of the plant not only contain vitamins, they are useful for certain diseases: heart disease, sleep disorders. Easy care, undemanding feeding, temperature changes, quick ripening period, rich harvest make it one of the favorite crops among beginners in gardening, but more experienced gardeners play here at the Vulcan Casino

Fresh and crispy salad on your table throughout the year is simple and easy. Lettuce is an annual vegetable plant that grows quickly and is used fresh. Lettuce does not take up much space, and in the smallest garden or even in flowerpots you can plant several heads of lettuce. Lettuce, as a completely unpretentious plant, can grow in any soil and does not require special knowledge to obtain a rich harvest.

Types of salad:

Head lettuce is round, like cabbage, with widely spread smooth leaves. It grows very quickly and does not require special care.
Iceberg lettuce - crispy lettuce forms a large head of rolled leaves that have a crunchy taste.
Romaine lettuce - the leaves are crisp, elongated, growing vertically upward. It takes longer to ripen than other lettuce varieties and requires frequent watering.
Curly lettuce is a lettuce with a large number of curly leaves without a core.

Recently, salads such as arugula, corn salad, watercress, frillis salad, and lettuce have become very popular. Various in shape, color and taste, these annual fast-growing vegetables are mainly used fresh.

To get a lettuce harvest throughout the whole year, you need to sow seeds (spring, autumn, winter) every 2 weeks, and every week in summer.

Soil for growing lettuce. For growing lettuce in open ground, nutritious soils with good drainage and containing mineral impurities are best suited. The soil should not be too acidic, but well moistened. It is good to plant lettuce on the sunny side where there are no drafts; in the warmth it will ripen faster.

Spring sowing of lettuce in open ground. The place for sowing lettuce seeds needs to be dug up and organic and mineral fertilizers added, leveled, and backfilled - you can sow lettuce seeds.

To sow lettuce seeds in open ground, make furrows (oblong holes 2 cm deep at a distance of 20 cm from each other. Sow seeds rarely, lettuce grows very slowly if it is very thick; if you sow for seedlings, it can be thicker.

Tip: Sow seeds at different times so that you can harvest from early spring to mid-summer and before frost.

Plant the grown seedlings (plant 1 plant at a time) at a distance of 5 - 10 cm from each other. Regularly water the seedlings, weed and move the soil.

To obtain a rich harvest of plants, you need to loosen the soil in a timely manner, remove weeds and water regularly. During a period of drought without watering, the lettuce does not set into heads, its leaves become rough, bitter, and it blooms. In dense crops, lettuce heads cannot form and the plants bloom early.

Sowing lettuce seeds for seedlings

You can buy lettuce seedlings at the market or sow them yourself. Lettuce seeds are sown in small cups, pots or special greenhouses filled with compost or soil for seedlings. You need to sow the seeds 2 seeds per hole (hole) and water carefully. Cover the sown seeds with film or a lid for a mini-greenhouse.

In a few days, the seeds will germinate and cotyledons will appear. From those two sprouted seeds, choose the weaker plant and cut it below the cotyledon leaves; we don’t need it. Ventilate the greenhouse daily (leave it open for several hours a day) so that the plants gradually get used to the environment. When the plants grow up and 3-4 true leaves appear, they can be transplanted into pots or open ground.

For a small garden, planting garden crops together in one bed is suitable. Lettuce is planted between previously planted vegetables or herbs, which grow much slower than lettuce.

Growing lettuce on a windowsill

In order for lettuce grown on the windowsill to produce a rich harvest, you need to choose the right place, container, soil and seeds. Any boxes or pots are suitable for salad; the height of the bulk soil must be at least 10 cm. The soil must be nutritious: turf soil, humus, sand (2:2:1). Having filled the container with soil, it needs to be compacted and watered with warm water, then make indentations up to 1.5 cm, sow the seeds at a distance of up to 5 cm from each other, sprinkle the seeds with soil, water again, all that remains is to wait for the shoots. The best place to grow lettuce on a windowsill will be South-facing window sills (additional light is required in winter). Lettuce seedlings need high air humidity, so spray them twice a day with warm water.

Lettuce care

Caring for lettuce is very easy: you don’t need to feed it (if you used nutrient soil). The main care consists of watering (once every 2 days), and then it will grow quickly, and after 30 days you can treat your family and friends with your own grown salad.

Loosening the soil, watering and weeding lettuce

To obtain high yields, plants need timely loosening of the soil, destruction of weeds and watering. During a period of drought, without watering, the lettuce does not set heads, its leaves become rough, bitter, and the flower stem is thrown away. On crops that are not thinned out in a timely manner, heads cannot form and the plants bloom early.

Growing lettuce before winter

You can grow lettuce in autumn or winter in greenhouses. Of course, you will have to put in a little more effort and select specially bred varieties. To get a harvest from early summer through fall, start sowing lettuce in mid-spring and continue sowing at two-week intervals until mid-summer. This will ensure a stable lettuce harvest from early summer to mid-autumn.

For autumn harvests, select frost-resistant varieties. Plant them in open ground no later than the first week of August. In early autumn, when the plants are stronger, transplant them into a greenhouse.
If you do not transplant the plants into a greenhouse, you should thin them out and cover them in early autumn. While it is sunny and warm outside, the shelter is removed and closed at night. The lettuce will produce a harvest in late autumn.

When lettuce is grown in a greenhouse, the seeds are sown in early to mid-autumn, and the harvest is harvested in winter and until spring.