Prefer salad in 9 steps

Although lettuce usually only has a short growing season, it can be worthwhile to prefer it. Not only because it is then ready to harvest faster, the bed in the garden is also free again for subsequent crops more quickly. With these 9 steps you can prefer the salad.

material

• Seeds of the desired type of lettuce
• Growing bowl or small plant pots
• Cultivation soil or other substrate (garden soil contains weed seeds!)
• possibly drainage material
• Spray bottle with water
• Foil and thin wooden sticks or a transparent cover
• alternatively indoor greenhouse

The best time to go ahead

Basically, salad can be preferred indoors from late winter to early summer. If it gets too warm, however, the seeds will no longer germinate. The best time is when it can be foreseen that the young plants will be ready for the bed in a few weeks.

Temperature and location

Salad doesn't need too warm. On the contrary, you should look for a slightly cooler place in the house. The bedroom or a window in the hallway is better suited to the germination temperature than the living room. About 15 degrees are ideal. After germination at the latest, lettuce needs a lot of light in order to grow well. Therefore, a place at the window makes sense, but not at the South window. It quickly becomes too warm there and the young plants dry out.

Prefer: Instructions

1. Provide seed trays with a drainage layer, small stones or gravel are suitable for this. Plant pots have at least one drainage hole, which should be covered before filling.
   
2. Fill in the earth. Leave a few centimeters of space to the edge. Moisten the soil with the spray bottle and press it on.
   
3. Sow seeds broadly. The more space there is between the individual seeds, the easier it is to prick out.
   
4. Cover the seeds thinly with soil and press them down well.
   
5. Moisten the soil again. Be very careful so that the seeds are not washed away.
   
6. Germination can be accelerated with a cover made of foil. To do this, stick small wooden sticks in the soil at the edge of the planter at regular intervals. Then stretch the film over it. Alternatively, use a finished cover or greenhouse.
   
7. Place the finished cultivation trays at the chosen location. Keep the soil moist, but not wet, for the next few days. Remove foil after germination or at least ventilate frequently.
   
8. The germination time depends on the variety and is between 10 and 14 days.
   
9. As soon as the first leaves appear after the cotyledons, prick out the plants.

Note: Completely without transplanting is only possible if the seeds are sown individually in small pots.

Prick out the lettuce plants

This step is not necessary when sowing in individual pots. You cannot do without a seed tray with several seeds, as the plants will otherwise hinder each other's growth. The right time is reached around 14 days after germination.

Prick out: Instructions

1. Remove all weak or sickly young plants from the seed tray. Do not hurt the healthy and strong.
   
2. The new plant pots should have a diameter of at least 5 cm. Cover the drain hole and fill the pots with soil. Now a slightly more nutrient-rich substrate can be used. Potting soil is no longer so good, but all salads are not heavy consumers either.
   
3. Detach the young plants from the planter bowl. To do this, carefully loosen the roots with a small wooden stick or special pricking wood.
   
4. Place the lettuce plants individually in the pots. Fill in the soil and press down well so that the plants have a good hold. But make sure that they are not planted too deep.
   
5. Water the plants very carefully. Then keep it moist and place in a light location.
   
6. The lettuce can be put into the garden bed from the beginning of April or later, if it is to be reseeded.

Note: Salad is very popular with snails. It is therefore essential to use a snail protection when planting out, for example a snail collar for individual plants or a snail fence for the entire bed.

frequently asked Questions