Lettuce can easily be grown from seeds you have collected yourself or from seeds from specialist retailers - both in the garden bed and in pots on the balcony or terrace. Find out here what you need to consider when growing lettuce.
How do you grow lettuce from seeds yourself?
Lettuce can be grown from your own or purchased seeds by sowing them in seed trays on moist soil, covering them with soil and watering them regularly. After germination and transplanting, the plants can be planted outdoors or in pots on the balcony or terrace.
Grow lettuce from your own seeds
The most exciting way to grow your own lettuce is to grow it from seeds you have collected yourself. To do this, simply let your lettuce shoot and flower the previous year. You can then collect the seeds in autumn. Store them dry, dark and cool.
From February you can grow early varieties on the windowsill. This is how you proceed with sowing:
- Fill your growing bowls three quarters full with soil.
- Moisten the soil.
- Put a pinch of seeds on the soil per bowl.
- Cover the seeds with a little soil, about 0.5cm thick.
- Spray or water the soil carefully.
- Look for a location that is not too warm and bright for your growing bowls.
- If you cover your bowls with foil, you ensure even germination and sufficient moisture. Caution: Remove the film as soon as the seeds germinate to avoid hindering their growth.
If you have a mini windowsill greenhouse or feel like creating one yourself, you can plant your lettuce seeds in there to ensure consistent moisture and warmth.
Pricking lettuce
The seedlings can be transplanted seven to ten days after sowing. To do this, remove the excess plants until there are only one or two plants left per growing dish. The seedlings you remove can either be eaten or placed in other planters.
Planting lettuce
After the Ice Saints, when frost is no longer expected, your young lettuces can move outdoors:
- Loose up the soil and enrich it with some compost.
- Plant your young plants in the soil about 25cm apart.
- Don't plant the plants too deep!
- Water the freshly planted lettuces.
Tip
Alternatively, you can also sow your lettuces directly outdoors. This should also only be done after the Ice Saints to prevent the young plants from freezing.
