Growing lettuce indoors, no matter the method, is simple and easy and will save you money in the long run if you keep trimming the amount needed and letting the remaining leaves and roots grow. The easiest way to grow lettuce indoors is by propagating it.
Easy, fast-growing, and delicious fresh – Lettuce is one of the most rewarding plants to grow indoors and pick fresh for each salad.
Did you know that the freshest and most delicious lettuce comes from growing them yourself? At home, Billy and I haven't bought a plastic box of lettuce in months and enjoy fresh salad almost daily! We've been growing lettuce hydroponically indoors and are now gearing up to start our outdoor lettuce garden.
Number three: lettuce plants are cut and come again
If you decide you want lettuce tonight for dinner, all you have to do is pull off the oldest leaves of the plant, give your plant some days to recover, and then you'll be able to return for more and more leaves.
Deterioration starts as soon as crops are harvested, so homegrown and locally grown produce that gets to your table fast offer more nutrients than produce that travels over time and distance. Vitamins and antioxidants in some types of produce may be more than 100 percent higher in local crops versus imported ones.
Veggies like mushrooms, baby spinach, bean sprouts, lettuce, and peas can be good for boosting your gut health, specifically. These vegetables are great for your gut because of their fiber or water contents, or because they contain plant compounds called polyphenols. Sometimes it's a mixture of all three.
While all lettuce is going to provide you with healthy vitamins and minerals, romaine lettuce is the most nutrient-dense, says registered dietitian Danielle Crumble Smith. “It's going to have the highest amount of vitamin A, K, C,” she says.
In theory, bolted lettuce is still edible and non-toxic, however a taste test is always a good idea. The leaves tend to become tougher, more bitter and may not be enjoyable. The plant builds up bitter substances to make them less appetising for predators.
Most lettuce varieties will regrow three to five times if harvested carefully. For most types, you'll want to only cut the outer leaves each time you harvest, allowing the core and roots to remain and continue growing.
For the beginner gardener, loose-leaf, baby-leaf, and mini-head lettuces, as they're most often labeled in seed catalogs, are the easiest varieties to start with — they're simpler, faster to grow, and milder than full-size head lettuce.
You'll make fewer trips to the grocery store, and your food will be fresher. Get started here. Growing all—or even a portion—of your own vegetables and herbs at home pays you back in freshness and convenience. You'll save money by eating what you grow and making fewer trips to the grocery store.
Lettuce is an excellent source of beta carotene (vitamin A) which is needed for healthy skin, bones, and eyes. Lettuce is a fair source of folate, which is needed for healthy cells and the healthy growth of babies during pregnancy in order to prevent neural tube defects.
Grow. Lettuce has shallow roots, so plants need consistent watering. Check at least twice a week and water if the soil is dry down to 1 inch deep. Containers of lettuce need to be watered more frequently than garden beds, especially in the summer.
Lettuces are perfect for containers placed on decks, patios, balconies, and porches. Growing in containers also gives you control over the soil, light, and water conditions.
Baby greens like lettuce, arugula, basil, spinach, chard, red mustard, and microgreens like radish, broccoli, lettuce, mustard greens, peas, and sunflowers all work wonderfully indoors. They are shallow-rooted and quick to grow. A container 2-4 inches deep will work well. They need moist, well-drained soil.
Although it means your supply of fresh leaves is coming to an end, bolting in lettuce isn't always a bad thing. The blooms on lettuce plants can attract pollinators such as bees and other bugs that prey on garden pests.
Once the lettuce has reached a certain size or when temperatures get high, the plant will bolt. Bolting means it will start sending up a stem to flower. If you catch the stem early enough, you can simply cut it back and enjoy the leaves until it bolts again. If you let it bolt, the leaves will turn bitter.
The white sap is a milky fluid made of latex that's naturally found in the lettuce and is completely harmless. The botanical name for the substance is lactucarium, which comes from lactus, the Latin word for milk (the botanical name for lettuce is lactuca sativa, which also stems from this word).
The plants will regrow, and you'll get one or two more harvests out of that head. While lettuces are predominately a cool-weather crop, there are summer varieties that don't disappoint. They're so easy to plant, grow, and harvest that I try to have lettuces in my garden every season.
Iceberg lettuce – It is the most common lettuce variety, with both a bland flavor and crunchy texture. Burgers and salads both contain this ingredient. As iceberg lettuce contains a lot of water, make sure to blot it dry before adding it to your burger.
Crunchy Noodles, Wontons, and Tortilla Strips
“Crunchy noodles are like eating chips,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.N., creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read It Before You Eat It. All they add to your salad are calories (around 120 per half cup) and fat (half of those calories, at around 60 grams).