Lettuce is a frugal, fast-growing vegetable that doesn't just thrive in the garden bed. It can also be grown in a pot on the balcony. Learn below how to plant and care for your lettuce on the balcony and how to harvest.

Above all, lettuce needs sun and space on the balcony

The right place for the lettuce on the balcony

Lettuce needs as much sun as possible. Therefore, choose a location that is as sunny and sheltered from the wind as possible. When it comes to the planter, lettuce is not very demanding: it does not have deep roots and needs about 25 cm2 of space to develop its beautiful, round head. Make sure the planter has drainage to avoid waterlogging.

The most important things about sowing at a glance:

  • Preparation: Thoroughly clean the planter to prevent disease
  • Sowing date: from February prefer on the windowsill, from May on the balcony (depending on the variety!)
  • Sowing depth: 0.5cm
  • Substrate: nutritious, e.g. enriched with compost
  • Location: full sun
  • Planting distance: 25cm
  • Transplant: one to two weeks after sowing

Here you will find detailed instructions for sowing lettuce in a pot.

Caring for lettuce on the balcony

Lettuce needs regular watering, especially on dry, hot days. Fertilizing is usually superfluous, since the nutrients in the soil are sufficient for the short development time. Snails and other critters like lettuce almost as much as you do. If you have problems with such insects on your balcony, you can protect the lettuce with snail nets or something similar. Diseases such as powdery mildew or lettuce rot can also affect it. Here's how to counteract it. Weakened lettuce is particularly vulnerable to pests and diseases. So if you take care of it properly, there is less risk of it becoming ill or being infested with insects.

Harvest lettuce on the balcony

Lettuce can be harvested once it has reached the desired size. Depending on the variety, the ideal harvest date is 60 to 120 days after sowing. Alternatively, you can continuously harvest your lettuce by just removing the outer leaves. As soon as the lettuce starts to flower, it should be harvested in its entirety, or you can let it flower and use the seeds for propagation.

tips

Sow a seed of lettuce every week in a long window box. Keep a distance of 25cm between each plant. This means you can harvest a fresh head of lettuce every week two to three months later.

Category:

Vegetable garden