Article Advise

submitted: Aug 24th 2008 | by: DaveTruman | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 459 | |

There's nothing better than a salad made with fresh lettuce from the garden. Adding lettuce to your garden can be a welcome addition. Not only is healthy and tasty to eat but it needs very little space to grow. But there are some guidelines you should know before planting lettuce.

To grow lettuce or any other vegetable, you need to have good soil. For lettuce, keep the nitrogen level high by using 30-10-10 NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) fertilizer. This will provide the lettuce with the nutrition it needs to produce healthy leaves.

Plant the seeds about 1/8-3/8 inch deep, separated by 6-12 inches (2-3.5 m) from the next plant. Romaine does fine at the smaller spacing, but crisp lettuce needs more room. If you plant in rows, keep the rows separated by about 20 inches (6m). Keep in mind that seeds shouldn't be planted too early, since they're subject to cold damage.

Keeping the soil moist but not soaked is good. Lettuce doesn't have very deep roots, so it needs to find moisture near the surface. Still, try to keep the water off the leaves and onto the soil, except for the occasional washing. Wet leaves encourages disease, especially when they're moist during nighttime temperatures.

Since lettuce lacks deep root growth it has to find moisture near the surface. Therefore it is important to keep the soil moist but not saturated. Try to keep the water off of the leaves and into the soil except for the occasional washing. Wet leaves especially during nighttime temperatures can lead to disease.

Like any other vegetable, lettuce plants have problems with diseases and pests. Many insects enjoy the lettuce leaves and the folds of the leaves also offer many places for fungi to grow.

Aphids, flea beetles, leafhoppers, slugs and cutworms are common insects that feast on lettuce. Washing the leaves with a high-pressure hose can temporally help get rid of the insects. Insecticide lightly applied to the lettuce will provide better long-term control.

Anthracnose (Microdochium panattonianum) is a common fungal disease. It can stay alive in unplanted soil for many years, so don't assume you're safe because your garden is new. Bottom rot (Rhizoctonia solani) is another common fungus. It occurs usually in soil that drains poorly. Keeping the foliage dry and planting in good soil will help to reduce the odds of being infected.

Another common problem with lettuce is bolting. Bolting is not a disease or pest but occurs when the plant goes to seed and the leaves stop growing. Bolting happens when the temperatures are consistently too high. To prevent this from happening, plant lettuce in shaded area or plant next to a shading crop such as corn.

With the proper preparation, planting technique and care you can have lettuce several times during a growing season.

About the Author

Looking for ideas for your vegetable garden layout? You can stop searching - visit the Vegetable Gardeners website at http://www.vegetablegardeners.com for lots of great ideas and tips. Get your own copy of our free reports for growing better vegetables.

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