Every year more and more people are switching to a healthy diet. And any proper raw food or vegetarian diet is impossible without fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs. Salad is one of the irreplaceable products containing a huge amount of vitamins, microelements, salts, organic acids and many other useful elements. Green vegetables are of great benefit to the whole body, and in particular to the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Lettuce leaves are a medicinal and dietary product that is recommended by experienced nutritionists to people suffering from obesity and diabetes. For example, Lactuca sativa salad is a biennial vegetable that can be grown indoors and have fresh herbs on the table throughout the year.
The correct choice of variety
Among the huge number of types and varieties of salads, not everyone can bring the expected harvest on a window bed. It is recommended for inexperienced gardeners to choose the right varieties for growing on the windowsill. Early maturing varieties are most suitable for such conditions. You can purchase the varieties "Curly", "Yellow", "Amanda", "Obyknovenny", "Pepper" (domestic) or "Ostinata", "Quick", "Noran" (foreign), as well as watercress.
These specimens are unpretentious and undemanding to soil, lighting and moisture. They grow very quickly and the first harvest can be obtained within 20-25 days after germination.
Cabbage varieties of lettuce are not suitable for home conditions, as they are very demanding on growing conditions. For them, a constant air temperature, level of illumination and humidity are of great importance. If at least one of the conditions of detention is not observed, the formation of an ovary may not occur.
How to grow salad at home
Location and lighting
The growing area must be properly lit for all twelve months. In summer, green spaces need to be protected from sunlight, and in winter with short daylight hours, you can use additional lighting. It is recommended to hang fluorescent lamps above the planting boxes at a height of at least 50 cm. Lack of light will negatively affect the development and growth of the lettuce.
Temperature
In the hot summer months, green spaces need to be shaded. In the autumn and spring season, containers with vegetables can be taken out into the open air or on a balcony (loggia), provided that this area is well ventilated. Plants perfectly tolerate cool weather with a temperature of 8-10 degrees Celsius.
Planting containers
The optimal size of the planting boxes is a square container with a side of 60 cm and a depth of at least 10-12 cm. It is very important for a salad that the soil in the box does not dry out, but, on the contrary, retains the necessary moisture for a long time. Therefore, small containers are not suitable for growing this crop.
Watering and moisture levels
Lettuce is very picky about the high moisture level in the soil. Untimely watering, which leads to overdrying of the earthen coma, or an increased air temperature in the room, which leads to overheating of the soil mixture, contributes to the appearance of negative changes in the development of the plant. Very little greenery is formed and its external and taste qualities are very low. Lettuce leaves become bitter and fibrous.
The soil
The potting mix should be very nutritious. In special shops for gardeners and florists, you can buy "Universal" or "Vegetable" mixture, which is perfect for growing lettuce, as well as "Biogrunt". The soil mixture is prepared independently from the following components: two parts of humus or humus earth and one part of peat and river sand. It is recommended to thoroughly stir the primer mix before use.
Top dressing and fertilizers
Mineral dressing is applied to the soil only after the first harvest of watercress is harvested. Fertilizers are not applied during the growing season.
Growing lettuce from seeds
Sowing seeds
Sowing of seed is carried out randomly into moist and lightly compacted soil in planting containers. For every 10 square centimeters, 2 grams of lettuce seeds are enough. When planting seeds in rows, it is recommended to keep a certain distance. Row spacing: for lettuce - 6-8 cm, for watercress - 10-12 cm.Seeds are covered with a small layer (no more than 1 cm) of loose soil, then sprayed with settled water at a temperature of at least 30 degrees Celsius and transferred to a cool a darkened room with a temperature of 10 to 12 degrees Celsius for 7 days. The treatment consists of regular moisturizing - at least 3-4 times a week. Planting boxes are transferred to the windowsill with the appearance of seedlings.
The simultaneous cultivation of lettuce in several containers with an interval of planting seeds of 1.5-2 weeks will allow you to get greens of lettuce constantly.
Crop care
Watering is carried out every other day. The soil should remain moderately moist, without excess moisture. Spraying is used only in dry indoor air.
Favorable temperature - from 16 to 20 degrees Celsius. Ventilation is recommended at higher temperatures.
Thinning of plants is carried out after the appearance of two leaves. The distance between shoots is about 8 cm. The removed seedlings can be planted in planting containers in which tomato or cucumber seedlings are grown.
Harvesting and storage
Lettuce must be pulled out of the ground along with the root part, after which the roots must be freed from the soil. You can store the crop in wooden or plastic boxes in an upright position under a transparent film in a darkened room, where the air temperature is kept at around 1 to 2 degrees Celsius.
Watercress can give several harvests if the ripe leaves are carefully cut off, and the soil with the remaining root part of the plant is fed with mineral fertilizers. After this additional nutrition, the watercress again builds up the leafy part.
With proper care and creating favorable conditions, about 50 grams of lettuce can be grown on a windowsill from one square decimeter of land.
