Organic Gardening - Tips on Growing Lettuce in Your Home Garden

Plant breeders do the same thing as Starbucks for coffee: They offer a wide range of leafy vegetables to stimulate the taste buds and add some flair to their gardens. These fancy varieties will not replace regular supermarket iceberg lettuce any more than a cup of coffee or a cafe latte. Some are healthier than icebergs and easier to grow. Bright red Romaine lettuces such as Outrageous and Red Cross are my favorites. You can also try some new leaf lettuces, like Firecracker, which is a 28-day variety that will make you eat healthier in no time.

The following seed catalogs offer a wide range of greens. It can make shopping difficult, or exciting depending on how you look at it. It is important to learn about the various types of greens available on the wild lettuce market. Bibb lettuce is also known as Boston, Butterhead, or Butterhead lettuce. It produces a loose head with thick, soft leaves that have a buttery texture. A good example of bibb lettuce is Merville des Quatre Saison’s. This variety's magenta color contrasts beautifully with its creamy center. It tastes great, too.

Loose-leaf varieties such as "Red Salad Bowl" produce loose rosettes with curled leaves. It is delicately lobed and a good keeper. This makes it an excellent choice for commercial baby green mixes. It has sweet leaves and matures quickly. Plant it in succession and continue to grow it until the fall. The commercial market is still dominated by iceberg or crisp head lettuce. Because of its crispiness and ability to keep freshness for many days after harvest, it's a staple product for commercial growers. Johnny's Selected Seeds offers 'Crispin', a "grower-friendly" iceberg lettuce for home gardeners.

The cos and romaine varieties of lettuce are more heat-tolerant than other types. Romains have a firm texture and sharp taste that can be mixed with other types of lettuce like the ones mentioned above. Romaine leaves come in a variety of colors, from bright green to deep red.

The French crisp head and Batavian lettuces are a good choice if you want iceberg-like flavor. These large leaf types have similar crisp textures to icebergs. They form loose heads like icebergs. The effort is worth it for 'Cardinal,' a red-leafed variety. It can tolerate tip burn and can withstand heat up to Zone 5. You should also include mustards and chards. These leafy greens are great for salads. Mustards take up a bit more space than other lettuces, but they will give your salads a little zip.

The All American Selections Winner Bright Lights Swiss chard will bring life to your garden even when it is cloudy. These leaves and stems are just as beautiful to look at as they taste. The leaves can be eaten as a salad or boiled like spinach. You can grow chard from the beginning of spring through late fall. You can grow chard from early spring to late fall. If you want the best bang for your buck, you can do what I do: cut the stems to nearly ground level. Your chard will then sprout new, delicious stems in no time. Easy to grow, salad greens can be grown in a backyard garden or small patio garden. Because they are cool-tolerant, they don't require much space. They are also the best crop to experiment in a cold greenhouse.

When shopping for salad greens seeds, there are some things to keep in mind. Pay attention to the days to maturity, cold-weather tolerance, and, conversely, heat tolerance. Lettuce loves to bolt. This means that it will send up flower stalks when it is hot and dry. If you plan on planting multiple greens to last you through the summer heat, choose slow-to-boil varieties.

Although greens can be grown in many soil types, they will thrive in sandy loam soil. You can cultivate healthy greens by adding lots of organic matter to your lettuce beds, such as compost or well-rotted livestock. If you have amended the soil with organic material, feeding shouldn't be required. Use organic fertilizers such as Sea-Plus Liquid Seaweed/Fish Fertilizer 3-2-2 if you feel it is necessary.

I have never had severe insect infestations in my lettuce, so I wouldn't recommend using any inorganic sprays or powders to control them. Spray Safer's Insecticidal Soap where there is evidence of insect damage or infestations.