Grow lettuce on the balcony

The right location for the lettuce on the balcony

Lettuce needs as much sun as possible. Therefore, choose a location that is as sunny as possible and sheltered from the wind. 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 that the planter has drainage to avoid waterlogging.

The most important things about sowing at a glance:

• Preparation: Thoroughly clean the planter Diseases to prevent
• Sowing date: from February onwards on the windowsill, from May on the balcony (depending on the variety!)
• Seed depth: 0.5cm
• Substrate: nutrient-rich, e.g. B. enriched with compost
• Location: full sun
• Plant spacing: 25cm
• Prick out: one to two weeks after sowing

here you will find detailed instructions for the sowing of lettuce in a pot.

Maintain lettuce on the balcony

Lettuce needs to be watered regularly, especially on dry, hot days. Fertilize is usually superfluous, as the nutrients present in the soil are sufficient for the short development time. Snails and other animals 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. Also diseases like mildew or lettuce rot can attack it. here learn how to counter it. Weakened lettuce, in particular, is attacked by pests and diseases. So if you take care of it properly, there is less chance of it becoming sick or infested with insects.

Harvest lettuce on the balcony

Lettuce can be harvested once it is the size you want. The ideal harvest date is 60 to 120 days after sowing, depending on the variety. Alternatively, you can continually harvest your lettuce by removing only the outer leaves. As soon as the lettuce starts to bloom, it should be harvested completely or you can let it bloom and use the seeds for propagation.