Indoor Growing - Lettuce

Hi All,

thank to everyone who replied to my previous post regarding the little vegetable plot I have at the bottom of my garden.

I now have another question. Someone has told me that I can quite easily grow lettuce and other salads indoors throughout the winter. If so how do I go about it. I have an outhouse with reasonable sized windows that face the sun (what we get) a majority of the day, so I could grow everything in there maybe.

How would I go about growing lettuce and other plants indoors???

Thanks

Andy

 

Hi Andy

I think you'll struggle to grow worthwhile "summer" veg indoors during the winter.

It's not just a matter of needing reasonable temperatures, summer veg needs good light for long periods each day. I find that even reliable types like Webbs Wonderful lettuces, if planted after mid-July, do not grow as well as earlier in the year. They do produce a heart but not very big and the leaves are "softer" than the early sown specimens.

You could try growing bean sprouts in jars during winter, they're always worth a shot!

 

It's worth a try Andy.

I'm trying cut and come again lettuce indoors for the first time this winter - 'Salad Bowl' and 'Lollo Rossa' types.

I doubt you'd have much success with hearting types though.

 

Try other salad leaves, mizuna and rocket are easier in winter than lettuce

 

'Winter Density', a cos type is well worth a try. I've not tried it indoors but have grown it on over winter in a greenhouse and polytunnel. It won't give a real 'winter' crop but should be ready very early in spring. I've just sown some under glass cloches in the garden.

 

I got behind with my station sewing late summer and had no lettuce so I bought a punnet of salad leaves in Aldi, soaked them in water to split them a bit and planted in a trough of peat. They looked sickly for 2 or 3 days and then bounced back to life. As we're not big lettuce eaters its served us ever since (and the punnet was only about 49p). As its still going strong but its getting colder I'm going to move the trough into my front porch. The red and green look as pretty as any house plant and I may be able to cut for a while longer. Got nothing to loose really. Sheelagh :gnthb: