Lettuce Varieties And Cultivation Methods
We have many varieties of lettuce that we can grow in the garden, with different sizes, shapes and tastes. Want to grow this vegetable, but don’t know how to get started? In today’s article, we present everything you need to know about this topic.
What are the healthiest varieties of lettuce?
Lettuce offers various health benefits. In addition to being beneficial to the body, this vegetable is tasty and low in calories. In fact, lettuce is made up of 95% water and contains only 15 calories per 100 g.
In terms of the nutrients in its composition, lettuce is an important source of vitamin A, vitamin C and folate. It also provides minerals such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sodium.
We can highlight the following beneficial properties of lettuce:
- Facilitates sleep
- It has analgesic and calming properties
- Stimulates the digestive tract
- It has a mild laxative effect due to its fiber content
- It can be consumed by diabetics
- It is rich in beta-carotene and helps prevent many types of cancer
There are over 200 varieties of lettuce. The most famous are iceberg lettuce, roman salad, mini-roman salad and crispy summer salad. Lettuce is easy to grow and, depending on the variety chosen, can be planted at any time of year and harvested 3-4 months later.
The main obstacles in the cultivation of lettuce are slugs, snails, mushrooms, aphids and birds.
Read on to find out how to grow lettuce in your garden.
The most popular varieties of lettuce
Iceberg salad
The first variety of lettuce we suggest can be planted at any time of the year. At the same time, you will be able to consume it after only three months from planting.
The iceberg lettuce is round and resembles cabbage. Its leaves have a crunchy texture.
Roman salad
This is one of the most widespread varieties of lettuce in the world, most likely due to the fact that it is easy to grow and care for. The leaves of the Roman salad are elongated and have a characteristic central rib.
You can plant Roman salad at any time of the year. The effort you have to put in to take care of her is minimal. But you will have to protect it from the frost that can occur in winter.
Mini-Roman salad
Being very similar to Roman salad, but having a smaller size, this variety was called mini-Roman salad. Its taste is sweeter than that of the larger variety. In addition to the central rib, its leaves are wavy and very compact.
The mini-Roman salad can be planted all year round, although very hot summers are not conducive to this vegetable. It is best to plant it between January and April, so you can harvest it in the summer. Another option is to plant it between August and November and harvest it in winter.
Crispy summer salad
The reddish color and wavy leaves are the characteristic features of this variety of salad. For this reason, it is also known as “curly salad” in some places. Crispy summer salad is one of the most popular vegetables in gastronomy.
In terms of cultivation, this variety of salad does not tolerate the cold. After all, his name includes the phrase “summer.”
If you plant it every 20 days, you will have a crunchy summer salad all year round. Pick it up when the heads are closed and compact.
Tips for growing most lettuce varieties
- You can grow lettuce from seedlings, but also by indirect sowing methods.
- We advise you to leave a distance of 17-30 cm between plants.
- If you want to grow lettuce all year round, use a solarium.
- In terms of irrigation, lettuce is a vegetable with medium needs, especially during the budding period.
- Last but not least, the soil you use will have to contain enough nutrients to be able to meet the nutritional requirements of this plant.
As you can see, lettuce is easy to plant, care for and harvest. Its main advantage is that, if you grow it throughout the year, you will always be able to serve fresh and tasty salads. Thus, you will take advantage of all the beneficial properties of this vegetable.
