Locally known as salad patta and scientifically known as Lactuca sativa, lettuce belongs to the family Asteraceae. It is a relatively inexpensive green coloured leaf to add to sandwiches, burgers and salad bowls, especially compared to rocket salad, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce and many others.

Two weeks ago, we published an article on how to sow the black coloured lettuce seeds, the prerequisites while sowing the lettuce seeds and how to care for them in the initial few days, especially through the germination and seedling stage. Today, I will take you beyond the seedling stage, through the growth and maturity phase and finally into the harvest steps.

The best time to transplant lettuce seedling from the place where the seeds were sown to their intended permanent position is when three to four true leaves grow on the lettuce seedlings. The lettuce can be grown as a separate plant throughout its lifecycle in a small pot of just 4-inch size. Most vegetable plants may require a container size of at least 12 inches in height and width. The lettuce then works especially well for those who have limited space to work with and may not have the fortitude for strenuous physical activity while gardening. The only thing one needs to take care about when growing lettuce in a pot is that it requires frequent and regular fertiliser boosting, because the nutrients available in the soil of a small clay pot are limited. Like in any other plant, the lettuce too gives best results when grown in an open space.

Beginners may thin out the lettuce seedlings before shifting to its new permanent place. This will not only ensure better space between the plants but also provide for better results. Lettuce plants are also one of the go-to choices when it comes to intercropping. Intercropping is simply growing the lettuce at a place which is already occupied with some other plant, using the spacing between the plants grown on ground or specifically around that plant, if potted. Intercropping will not only help with the compliance — watering and caring for one pot instead of two — but also ensures optimal usage of whatever gardening space one is left to work with.

New gardeners should grow loose leaf lettuce at home as it’s easy to sow and harvest

Being a leafy plant grown in winters, it is better to shift the loose leaf lettuce to a location where it will be exposed to sunlight from morning till noon. The soil should be well-drained and kept moist with the help additional mulch in the container. The soil should never be allowed to turn dry or there are chances the lettuce plant goes into a shock stage or it succumbs to boulting which would result in flowers growing on the plant. Once the flower grows, the growth of leaves is significantly reduced and the taste and aftertaste of the leaves also turns slightly bitter.

Any of the organic nitrogen-based fertilisers can be used to provide for the leafy plant’s nourishment requirements. The fertilisers are to be provided after every 15 to 20 days, more religiously in the potted plants than the ones being grown in open space. Some of the pests that commonly attack the loose leaf lettuce are the aphids, mealy bugs, spider-mites and leaf miners. Any of the organic pesticides can be sprayed over the plant every two weeks to protect and fend off pest attacks.

I always recommend new gardeners to grow loose leaf lettuce at home which can be easily sown, grown and harvested throughout the season with ease, compared to the hearting variety of lettuce in which there is development of a head in the center of the plant. Loose leaf lettuce can be frequently harvested and it continues to provide produce regularly. Leaves should ideally be harvested early in the morning when it has maximal water content making it fresh and crispy. The crispiness subsides when harvested during afternoon or later. Although, the leaves can be harvested at the base as a bunch, I would recommend cutting off the leaves as per need which will increase the life of the plant and continuity of the produce. Once harvested, never forget to keep the leaves in cold water to ensure its crispiness for the meal for a longer duration.

Please send your queries and emails to doctree101@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 3rd, 2023