How to Grow Lettuce From Seed in Your Backyard.

One of the first things to try is to grow lettuce from seed in your backyard. Growing lettuce has always been one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Using lettuce containers to grow year round salad is my number one frugal tip and reason for promoting this vegetable. For year’s I have been growing lettuce in my garden. This is a perfect starter vegetable for beginners. The most important tip is to make sure it is harvested timely. If it is not harvested properly and sits in the grown longer the lettuce leaves get bitter.

Take it from me and a few mistakes, it isn’t good to eat. My second tip is geared towards budget friendly lettuce seeds. Buy them at the Dollar Tree. You can’t beat $1.25 plus tax for seeds. Grab a whole carton of them because lettuce is grown year around easily. Therefore, for a frugal family backyard garden lettuce is a staple. From a healthy standpoint it holds many vitamins and uses that are great for health.

Grow Lettuce From Seed

Number one frugal tip for growing lettuce is don’t spend a lot of money on fancy containers. Lettuce can be grown anywhere with good, drained soil and sun.

Recycled items work great to grow lettuce. For example, old tires, old wheelbarrows and milk jugs. My suburban homestead backyard garden is not fancy. We till it once a year, and I plant rows of vegetables. Lettuce is one of the vegetables that I can grow up until the first frost. If I cover the lettuce it will grow until Thanksgiving. This is dependent on good weather. If it freezes below 30 degrees early, then my harvest season will be over. We live in zone 6 so our growing season is at the mercy of the weather.

Undoubtedly, this amazing vegetable is hard to ruin. My experience shows that to grow lettuce in a container does not yield as much as a bed designated for this vegetable. Likewise, seeds are cheaper than plants. You can buy several packages of seed vs. buying plants at the store. In addition to that when you buy packages you have control over how much and how long you plant. When purchasing plants from a store when they are done, you are done.

Lettuce Is A Year Around Vegetable

The next frugal gardening tip is to grow lettuce year around. We eat a lot of lettuce in our daily meals. Lettuce goes with anything. Growing lettuce year around secures a good vegetable source, and a small savings investment weekly. As a frugal minded person this savings will add up over time. To get started growing lettuce is easy. Find a spot indoors that will receive several hours per day of sun, even in the winter. Make sure that it is kept away from drafts, and set up an easy recycled container box or milk jug.

There are many vegetables that are cold weather hardy, but lettuce is by far the easiest to grow. When it is time to harvest, pick your lettuce. If it is left too long in the ground it will become bitter. No one likes bitter lettuce. A helpful hint for preparedness is to research different recipes that will use lettuce. That way when your harvest comes in you are ready to pick, wash, and use. Straight from the garden to the table.

Easy Lettuce Varieties

Green salad bowl lettuce goes on sandwiches, tacos, fajitas, and makes great bowls for corn tortilla substitutes. It is the best variety for salads in my opinion. It also germinates quickly.

Lettuce has many varieties, and is a healthy side dish. There is Romaine lettuce, Leaf lettuce, Crisphead , Butterhead, and a mix variety. Growing my own lettuce allows it to stay fresh longer, save me money and cut down on waste. No longer do I have the challenge of trying to use up the lettuce before it browns, or throwing it out. Summer is a good time to test out the lettuce theory and get your feet wet. Grab a few packs from the store to begin.

No backyard suburban homestead garden is complete without a raised bed of lettuce. Be careful to keep the soil moist to avoid bolting, and treat with a diy homemade pest protectant. Many can be found online.

For more backyard garden tips on how to grow lettuce and other vegetables sign up for my newsletter. Also, find me on Instagram @momsarefrugal.