How to Plant Lettuce

Knowing how to plant lettuce is highly recommended for all those people who want to start growing a garden, since it is one of the crops that can be harvested more quickly, in addition to being one of the simplest to grow.

In addition, being a plant that grows quickly, this makes it appear that there are fewer diseases and pests, which encourages agriculture enthusiasts to fully enter this world. This plant is usually grown for human consumption, there are different varieties of lettuce, and it is also a plant that can be consumed throughout the year.

Lettuce is one of the vegetables that has a lower amount of calories and that has many photo-nutrients, vitamins A, B, C and K, antioxidants and minerals such as iron or potassium. It is very beneficial for the body as it is diuretic, improves vascular health or helps kidney problems, among others.

It is a vegetable consumed all over the world, being the most common in the form of a fresh salad, although there are many other ways to enjoy it.

Main enemies of lettuce

The main enemies of lettuce are:

• Slugs and snails: It can be solved with a manual collection or installation of beer traps.
• Mushrooms: They appear due to excess moisture. It can be corrected by removing the affected areas.
• Aphids: It occurs when there is an excess of nitrogen. Nettle slurry can be used as a preventive measure or vegetable insecticides for a direct fight.
• Birds: The remedy to protect you from birds is to cover the plants with a mesh.
• Excess moisture and dryness: Both are two problems that can negatively affect lettuce, so you should find a balance in irrigation.

Lettuce varieties

There are more than 200 varieties of lettuce, the best known being the following:

• Roman: It is the most common. As it does not form a very consistent bud, it should be tied when there are about 15 days left to be harvested. This plant is grown in summer.
• Oak Leaf: This is a cut variety and is usually grown in fall and winter.
• Mara villa: It is a variety that adapts to high temperatures and is cut.
• Buds from Tupelo: This variety creates small buds and can withstand low temperatures.

Instructions for planting lettuce

If you want to know how to plant lettuce you should follow these steps:

1. First of all, you must be clear about the place where you want to plant your lettuce. You have to bear in mind that it is a plant that adapts to most climates, although it is always preferable to opt for places with not very high temperatures. In the event that your climate is like this, you should provide them with some shade.
2. Once you have decided where you are going to place the lettuce in your garden, you must take care of preparing the soil. To do this, you must look for a land that is rich in highly decomposed organic matter and also rich in humus. For this you can resort to the use of soils in which other vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, tomatoes or peppers have already been grown. In addition, you should look for a soil that has the ability to retain moisture adequately.
3. Fertilizer. In the case of lettuce, it is a plant that does not need a highly fertilized soil, being enough with the remains of previous crops. However, in the event that your garden has poor soil, you can resort to the use of highly decomposed compost. To do this you must add around 3 kilograms per square meter. During the development of the lettuce, 1.5 kg will be added.
4. Once you start with the lettuce planting process itself, you should start by making two lines and burying several seeds about 2 cm deep. You should leave a distance of about 30 cm between them.
5. Once you have done the above, you just have to take care of the care of your lettuce.  For this you must provide the water you need. They are a plant that requires a large amount of water, especially when the buds are formed. The perfect irrigation system is drip. Lettuce needs moist soil, so it should be watered daily and sparingly.
6. In addition to watering, make sure to protect them from their enemies and eliminate weeds.

Depending on the variety of lettuce chosen, you may be ready for harvesting around 2 months after planting. Planting lettuce is simple, it is important to provide it with adequate irrigation, that the soil is rich in humus and to avoid possible predators.

What do you need to plant lettuce?

• Lettuce
• Sun
• Water
• Potting soil

Tips for Planting Lettuce

• If you tie the lettuce leaves, it is easier to bleach them, which makes them tenderer.
• For its care you must remove the old or diseased leaves that the lettuce may present.
• Lettuce can be planted together with other plants such as cabbage, cucumber, strawberry, radish or carrot.
• You can cover your plants with grovel to avoid pests and maintain the temperature during the winter.
• To obtain the seed you must leave at least 20 lettuces of the same variety. In case you use different varieties, the pollen will be crossed and the seed will be a mixture of these varieties.
• In the direct sowing method it is advisable to mix lettuce, arugula and mustard.