Lettuce is an easy-to-grow vegetable that can be planted both in the ground and in raised beds or pots, larger or smaller. Depending on the variety and sowing date, we can harvest it almost all year round. It has a short vegetation period. Grown as pre-crops, they appear on our table in early spring, and sown as catch crops, they will accompany us until late autumn. An additional advantage of lettuce is the fact that it has not only utility, but also ornamental value. Rosettes of red or pink leaves, planted on borders or between other plants, can change the appearance of a vegetable garden into an almost decorative flowerbed. Before we move on to the rules for sowing, planting and caring for lettuce, a few pieces of information about the 4 main groups of these plants. The first, most well-known, is butterhead lettuce. It forms large, loose heads. Its leaves are soft and delicate, most often green, but there are also varieties with red or purple discolorations. The next is crisphead lettuce, also called iceberg lettuce. It has a longer vegetation period than butterhead, its heads are larger, more compact, and the leaves are hard, juicy, and crunchy. The most common varieties are those with intensely green leaves, but there are also those with discolorations. We value it in the kitchen, because after harvesting it stays fresh longer than butterhead lettuce. Leaf lettuce is the true queen of decoration, both in gardens and on tables. This plant does not form a head, but a dense rosette of leaves, which can be harvested at once or successively cut out as they grow. Loose-leaf varieties are easier to grow than varieties with compact heads. They ripen faster, do not require much sunlight, and tolerate higher temperatures better. They are perfect for container cultivation. They can be a decoration for our balconies, and at the same time will be useful in the kitchen. Romaine lettuce can also be distinguished, which forms an elongated, fairly loose head. The leaf's main vein is strongly developed. The leaves are eaten raw, cooked or stewed. The inner leaves are the tastiest, the outer leaves are slightly bitter and have a nutty flavour. It is often grown for late autumn harvest. We can grow all of them in our gardens. From each group of lettuces, there are early, medium early, medium late and late varieties available. From February to April, we sow spring varieties that like coolness and moisture. From May, we choose summer varieties. From mid-July to early September, we sow winter lettuces that are resistant to cold. And on window sills, we grow mixtures of leafy vegetables, which we harvest in the young leaf phase. Individual lettuce varieties react differently to the length of the day, so it is always worth checking the sowing dates given on the packaging. Early varieties shoot into inflorescence shoots during the long day, while summer and autumn varieties remain indifferent - they do not change the shape of the rosette. Therefore, by choosing the right variety, we can start growing lettuce as early as February. Then we sow it for seedlings. Growing from sowing directly into the ground is also possible, but only from March, when the ground has fully thawed and warmed up a bit. When preparing lettuce seedlings, we fill boxes or containers with a substrate for sowing and quilting and sow the seeds evenly. We cover them gently with soil, sprinkle and press them down. We constantly take care of the high humidity of the substrate. The first sprouts appear quickly, after 3-7 days. Approximately 3-4 weeks after sowing, the plants usually have 4 to 5 leaves. We can then quilt them into larger containers, or if the weather allows, transplant them into the ground. Lettuce should be planted so that the leaves are above the ground, and the growth cone should not be covered. The leaves are delicate, so they must be gently untangle if they have grown too large and become entangled with other seedlings. Once the temperature stays above 10 degrees Celsius for most of the time, we can put our seedlings in the garden or on the balcony or sow the seeds of this plant directly into the ground. When we have lettuce seedlings, remember that we always harden off young plants first, i.e. we put them outside for a few hours a day at first, and only after some time we leave them outside permanently. Initially, we shade the seedlings, because direct sunlight can burn the young leaves. When we notice that the plants have already become accustomed to the conditions prevailing outdoors, are starting to grow and look healthy, we can put them in a sunny place, remembering to water them. After just a few days, you can see the difference between the seedlings that are put outside and those that have been left at home. Links : Facebook : / izabella.schick Blog : https://ogrodnacodzien.pl/ Instagram : / ogrod_na_co_dzien #lettuce #lettuce #tips #garden #garden #sowing #vegetables #vegetablegrowing #vegetablegarden #vegetablegarden #gardener #vegetablegarden #growing #healthyfood #garden_na_codzien #health #garden #garden #sowing