Lettuce, leaf lettuce in particular, is a quick growing crop that can be harvested in as little as three to four weeks after seeding if picked in the “baby lettuce” stage. Head lettuce types such as iceberg or Bibb take longer but still can be ready to pick after leaf lettuce is done growing.
Grand Rapids is the best-known loose-leaf lettuce variety. This variety produces medium to large upright, light green leaves. The mild and flavorful leaves are frilled and crisp.
So, in order to avoid premature bolting, I always direct sow lettuce in the garden very early in spring – as soon as the winter passes and soil thaws. This is usually somewhere in the first half of March.
There are too many salad greens to mention them all but these are a few popular ones to try. Red-Veined Sorrel (55 days); Corn Salad (45-60 days); Miner's Lettuce (40 days); Mizuna (40-60 days) and Radicchio (55 days).
Stepping beyond the looseleaf varieties, there are some butterheads and romaine I like to grow as cutting lettuces. They will also sprout new leaves, if less energetically than the looseleaf varieties. Of the butterheads, 'Ermosa' has dark green leaves and stands up to a fair amount of summer heat.
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.
As long as you're staying within lettuce's optimal growing conditions, you can harvest from each lettuce plant at least three or four times in a season using the cut-and-come-again method, and about two to three times using the ponytail chop method (but you'll get more leaves with each harvest this way).
Lettuce favors cooler temperatures and light shade. Nevertheless, it grows fastest in areas that receive full sun.
1. Radish. The humble radish is super easy to grow and make a great addition to salads. Ready in around 3-8 weeks.
There you have it. Arugula, French breakfast radishes, mizuna, Bloomsdale spinach, and spring mix lettuce—these are my five favorite plants to grow when I know I've got a short season ahead of me or whenever I need almost-instant gratification.
Nitrate is the preferred form of nitrogen fertilizer for lettuce. Studies show that susceptibility to several pathogens is much greater in the presence of ammonium nitrogen compared to nitrate nitrogen.
Lettuce can be sown direct outdoors from early spring until late summer, for crops through summer and fall.
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.
Why is lettuce healthy? There are five different categories of lettuce: loose-leaf, cos/romaine, butterhead, crisphead, and asparagus-stem lettuce. Romaine lettuce and lettuce greens are the most nutritious types of lettuce.
We work with our supplier to make sure we get the finest heads of fresh lettuce picked, chopped and delivered to our stores to serve our customers. The leaves towards the heart of the lettuce are the freshest, and those are exactly the ones we use for our famous chopped iceberg lettuce.
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.
1: Artichoke
Due to similar climate conditions, artichokes work well as perennials in northern California, but may be difficult to grow as perennials in other areas of the nation. Since artichokes like moderate conditions, grow them as annuals in cold winter and hot summer areas.
Okra seeds germinate in 3-4 days time and an Okra plant has a lifespan of 6 months. The height of this plant can reach up to 2 meters. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you have adequate space prior to planting Okra. It is a nutritious food with many health benefits.
Leaf lettuce generally matures fast, which makes it ideal for home garden production.
Direct Sowing Lettuce
Don't bury them; this dusting is just to hold the seeds in place until germination and shouldn't be any thicker than the seeds themselves.
Cucumbers are ready for harvest 50 to 70 days from planting, depending on the variety. Depending on their use, harvest on the basis of size. Cucumbers taste best when harvested in the immature stage (Figure 2). Cucumbers should not be allowed to reach the yellowish stage as they become bitter with size.
Icebergs take between 50 and 90 days to grow. When the head is large and feels tightly packed; it is ready to cut.