There are many reasons why you may want to grow lettuce indoors. Perhaps you are looking to save money on groceries, or maybe you want to have a little bit of green in your life all year long. Here are three reasons why growing lettuce is a great idea:
1) Lettuce is fast and easy to grow.
2) Lettuce is a tasty leafy vegetable high in nutrients.
3) Lettuce can be grown in moderate climates, making it an ideal crop for people
One
Lettuce is easy to grow which makes it wonderful for first time growers. Depending on the variety you can see sprouts as soon as 3 days after planting. It's as close to instant gratification you can get with growing edible plants from seed.
It's also a very forgiving plant which makes it wonderful for low maintenance gardeners. Plant some seeds, cover them up, make sure the growing medium is well hydrated, and then voila! Delicate, soft, pet-able leaves that you grew yourself spring up!
On the beginner gardener scale, lettuce would fall under the recommended side for excitement. For not only quick growing but relatively quick harvest at around 30-45 days.
Two
You can't go wrong with a fast growing plant, that is pretty and colorful, but also tastes great. Sure, having a pothos plant is great. It's sturdy and can survive through a lot of neglect, but can you eat it?
Chances are you're not chopping off leaves from your standard indoor house plants to add to your burger, sandwich, or make a mighty fine deliciously tasty Caesar salad with.
Lettuces are leafy green vegetables. You can get a lot of taste and health benefits out of it too.
According to this article from WebMD you can find a variety of nutrients like Vitamin K for bone health, Vitamin A which is a key player in eye health, it contains some Vitamin C and iron, but is also a great source of hydration with water making up 95% of its structure. This article breaks down which type provides more of which vitamin.
The lettuce seeds included in the hydroponic mason jar garden kit contain a variety of lettuce seeds such as romaine, oak leaf, lollo rossa, and red and green lettuces. The seeds in the lettuce kit covers almost all bases.
Three
You can grow this almost anywhere! In Arizona when temperatures peak at 118 degrees fahrenheit in the summer, and wants to tease up to 120, you can have some crispy summer salads without worry of the wilt from the outside garden bed. Growing indoors is the ideal option, no matter the time of the year or the location, because of the temperature controlled environment and honestly, no pesky bugs trying to compete with your food!
Lettuce grown indoors, especially in the hotter months may drink up more water than normal but it's comforting to know your water source, the air your lettuce leaves are breathing in, and ultimately that they are thriving with little maintenance.
If another E-Coli outbreak occurs and lettuce is threatened then you know you are covered with your own stash of greens. Plus, an opened bag of lettuce with little critters inside in not my idea of a good time, no matter how "helpful" little miss, or mister, ladybug is.
Have you tried growing indoors? Stayed tuned for more!
