When it comes to a refreshing pick-me-up food, salad is number one on my list. And there is no better-tasting salad than one picked fresh from the garden. So today I’m going to give you the steps and tricks to getting that leafy green garden growing. You, of course, don’t need a big garden to grow lettuce. You can grow lettuce in a container, like a half-barrel, or a 15-20 inch wide planter-with good-quality potting soil.

First, you want to turn over the soil and make sure there are no clumps. You want a fine, even texture. Next, moisten the soil. There are a lot of ways to spread seeds, but with lettuce, all you want to worry about is leaving about a half-inch spacing between seeds. After the seeds are all spread out evenly on the soil, sift soil or potting mix over the seeds, until the seeds are covered with a quarter inch of dirt. Then sprinkle the newly sown bed with water, water thoroughly but gently. Keep the seedbed evenly moist until germination (about two weeks). They won’t all pop up at once, but should within a week of each other. So how long from dirt to table? You can start to harvest the little lettuces when they are 4 to 5 inches tall (after 35 to 45 days) but be sure to cut them down to an inch or two from the ground with sharp scissors after every harvest.
Keep your salad garden well watered and pest-free for delicious fresh salads every day!

The US is divided into 11 plant hardiness zones. The climate zone you are in drastically affects what you plant. The USDA developed a plant hardiness zone map that breaks down North America into eleven zones based on annual minimum temperature.  Zone 1 being coldest and zone 11 being hottest. Always factor in your climate zone when selecting plants for your garden. Zone is important, but is not the only major consideration before planting. What I mean is, you can plant a zone 5 plant like lavender in zone 5, but if you plant it in wet, clay soil it will fair poorly. So! Always take into account all factors, like zones, dirt quality, and sunlight that will affect each individual plant before planting!

Pete Skenandore

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