Keeping oneself healthy is everyone’s aim. Adopting healthy eating habits helps in achieving this aim of good health. People go vegan when they care about fitness and health. Lettuce is one of the healthy food you can easily grow in your home garden. For this have you ever wondered how to grow iceberg lettuce in containers? well, we shall be discussing this in detail here.
What is Iceberg Lettuce
Iceberg lettuce is a pale green vegetable. It is usually used in salads and in fast food like burgers which most people love to eat. Usually, it has a neutral taste. Also, on the other side, it is considered a zero-nutrient diet.
Besides its basic physical description iceberg lettuce contains some of the essential minerals and elements. Like vitamins and potassium etc. Iceberg lettuce is not known for its flavor but for its texture and crispiness. Because being used in burgers and used as salads it increases the crispiness.
Types & Uses of Lettuce
There are three to five types of lettuces. The most commonly used lettuce is iceberg lettuce. The use of Iceberg lettuce is common as compared to other types because of its crisp, texture and has almost zero calories. Make sure you use the young and new leaves.
Along with its mentioned qualities, iceberg lettuce gets fits across types of salads and dishes. You can add it to your salad, chicken sandwich, or tuna fish. Most of all it is the favorite type of lettuce for children. They prefer it over other varieties.
Origin & Domestication
The origin of iceberg lettuce goes back to Egyptian civilization, but it is now found and cultivated on all the inhabited continents of the world. American soils are fertile and receptive mainly to iceberg lettuce and generally to other types of lettuce.
Alongside large-scale cultivation, it is also grown on a domestic basis. It can be domesticated and can be grown according to need. To grow iceberg lettuce in-home, we just need the right-sized pot, soil, fertilizers, moisture, and sunlight along with other small requirements.
Keeping in view the trend toward health and fitness people are preferring these types of green salad ingredients to grow lettuces on their own. This is not only providing a healthy activity to roam and work but also results in fresh and own grown iceberg lettuce.
How to Grow Iceberg Lettuce
General Guidelines
Whether it is on a commercial scale, in a container, or a small bed in your garden. There are some general guidelines to follow to get the tender and tasty crop of iceberg lettuce. Following guidelines can mitigate the risk of losing the crop at any stage.
Is Iceberg lettuce hard to grow?
There are many ways to cultivate it on a large commercial scale. But here we are talking about growing iceberg lettuce on a domestic scale for individual or family consumption. It is very easy to cultivate. You have to just take care of some aspects concerning lettuce and you are good to go.
Alongside that, we have to take care of some important matters. This plant needs good sunlight to grow. So, keep in mind the sunlight availability. It should be just enough to nourish the lettuce. More exposure to sunlight can cause seeds to blot or leaves to become saggy.
Should I start iceberg lettuce indoors?
To avoid this dilemma, if you are sowing in the winter keep the bed where lettuce is sown in the shade indoors. When spring starts take it outside. And in summer select the area where it is half-shaded. This will result in good iceberg lettuce avoiding too much exposure to sunlight.
What kind of soil does iceberg lettuce need?
Iceberg lettuce is good with a lot of soil that’s why it is found everywhere. Soil should be cool, loose, loam, and sandy, and its pH should be maintained between 6 to 7. Use organic composed matter to make the site for sowing.
Cultivation in the beds
There are some methods for cultivating it in a bed. First of all, prepare the bed well and well. Take all the impurities out. Use composted organic matter to settle it up. Set the right place where sunlight is enough but not extreme. Then we are good to go.
Sowing
How far apart do you plant iceberg lettuce?
To sow the seeds of iceberg lettuce in the spring. You should get the beds prepared in the fall. As mentioned earlier it will be good with an organic growing medium. Sow the seeds half or more inches deep with a one-inch gap in rows and the 13-to-18-inch gap in plants. Cover with a thin layer because it needs sunlight to germinate.
Direct Seeding to Soil
Alongside sowing, you can directly seed in the soil. You have to follow the measures for the distance between the plants and exposure to sunlight. You can grow iceberg lettuce in a patch as well. Just need to follow the basics. Soil, sunlight, and distance of a minimum of 12 inches.
Transplanting
As we mentioned in sowing, it is to grow in the beds. Here is the transplanting method. Sow the seeds in a bed. When they start germinating reduce watering before transplanting them to the grow beds. So that it can get hardened.
Maintenance
Careful maintenance is very important for iceberg lettuce to grow. You need to keep cover on the beds while in fall and to protect the plants from insects. Also, you make sure enough needed sunlight is there and beds are shaded when it is too hot.
Keep succession planning in mind. Grow the plants at different stages and times. This will keep up the continuous supply. Keep the moisture and the congestion in mind. Different maturity dates will help in continuous supply and enough space for iceberg lettuce to grow.
Iceberg lettuce has a shallow root system. Keep eye on the moisture and keep watering the plants to grow effectively. The use of fertilizers can help in fast growth especially organic fertilizers like fish emulsion or others.
Growing Iceberg Lettuce in Containers
Can Iceberg lettuce be grown in pots?
Growing iceberg lettuce in containers is a very good idea for small gardeners who live in apartments. It is simple because it gives freedom of control over a container. Iceberg is a cool crop with the basic need for moisture and sunlight. It also gives quick access to harvest and also helps in the decoration of space.
Pot and Cultivation
Besides ease of access, the pot selection is very easy. Select the clay pot which will help in the evaporation of excess moisture and will keep the ideal state. Simply you have to ponder how much you want to grow. Because the distance between the plants is a minimum of 12 inches to maintain.
Get the soil that is well mixed with composted organic matter. Just follow the instruction for sowing and maintenance which will help constant growth and consistent supply. Keeping an adequate distance, providing enough sunlight, and keeping them moist and congestion levels in control will help.
Harvesting of Iceberg Lettuce
Harvesting of lettuce is quite a thing. You have to decide between the choices of leaves to opt. They are microgreens which are small leaves within 2 weeks of germination. Baby greens are within 27-35 days. And then there are mature leaves. Also, the whole plants are harvested.
These microgreens, baby greens, mature leaves, or an entire plant. It’s up to you how you want. Just keep in mind that the timing of harvesting is important. You have to get that right because, after that, leaves might get passed to the next category or get soggy.
Iceberg lettuce is good for microgreens, mature leaves, and entire plant harvesting. But it is not good for baby greens. While cutting the mature leaves, the correct timing for these is when the central stem is about to form.
Along with greens, for entire plants, you need to be careful while cutting. Keep in view the time that the central stem has just started its formation. Cut the plant from above one inch of the ground. This will give enough space to the other remaining plant.
Seeds Saving
Get the whole plant when it is completely dry. Shake it in a bag. Then rub the seeds and get more of them. Take a narrow sieve and pass all the seed heads which you have shaken and rubbed. This will keep the impurities in the sieve and get the seeds out clean.
Growing and using iceberg lettuce is a very healthy activity. It not only adds crispiness to the food but as mentioned it can be used in a variety of salads. These green leaves not only give the fresh look to the food but also are a delight to watch and eat.
Also, along with the health benefits of having low nutrients with freshness and crispiness, it is quite easy to grow and take care of. It not only fulfills dietary needs but also adds to the scenic views of gardens and apartments. Moreover, its seeds are easy to get, easy to preserve, and easy to continue growing.
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References
https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Iceberg-Lettuce
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/lettuce/growing-lettuce-containers.htm
