Do you have a small garden? Do you want to squeeze in a few fresh vegetables; just some lovely lettuce and a few herbs? Here is how to grow a little lettuce and herb garden when you have no space.
At our house, we work in small spaces, but we like fresh food and flavors, and this is about how we squeeze them in. We are South Florida gardeners, and you would think we would grow tons of lettuce for salads during our long hot summers but it doesn’t work that way around here. Lettuce loves a mild climate and our humid, soggy summers don’t work. In the summer we eat salads grown far away.
This is our little garden on a Florida pond, we plant for ornamental value and we are fitting in some edibles where we can.
But our mild winters are prime lettuce and herb growing time and we are adding some now.
Are You Reusing Your Planter?
As the photo shows, we use this elevated garden bed and other containers as convenient places to grow a few edibles in our small garden. Space is tight and the plants need to also be pretty enough for the pool area.
Refreshing the Soil for Your Lettuce and Herbs
We refresh the soil in the bed at the start of the fall season. I dig it out, looking for any causes of trouble in terms of pests. To refresh your container soil for a new vegetable season, you can:
- Remove Any Debris: Scrape away leaves, etc. from the top of the soil.
- Add Nutrients: Mix in compost, fertilizer, or other organic matter to replenish nutrients. I add worm castings and a tomato nutrient mix.
- Check the pH: Use a soil pH tester to ensure the soil is slightly acidic, around 6.6-6.7. If it’s higher than 7.0, you can add a granular soil amendment to lower it.
- Do You Need New Material: If the soil level has dropped, you can add more potting soil or garden mix. You can also add in a third new material, like compost or peat moss, to help with watering.
- Check for pestsLook out for pests that might lay eggs in the soil, or diseases that could come back and attack your next crop. Crop rotation can help with this,
Growing Lettuce
We grow lettuce, herbs, and a few other things in our elevated bed, and it spills over into a few potted plants. We are long-term herb growers and I cook with them. The lettuce is a little more sensitive to heat and water but this group of plants works well together.
- Sunlight: Lettuce grows best in full sun, but can also tolerate light shade. If you’re growing lettuce indoors, you can use a grow light to supplement the natural light. Our little lettuce garden is inside our screened pool enclosure and it does not get too bright in our afternoons. A hint that you are not getting enough light is that the seedlings are elongated and stretched.
- Temperature: Perfect temperature for growing lettuce is between 60°F and 65°F. Lettuce is a cool-season vegetable even in winter we will have days in the 80’s but our cooler nights are fine for lettuce.
- Soil: The best soil for growing lettuce is fertile, and well-drained, with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Lettuce can grow in a variety of soils, but it does best in sandy loam soils that are rich in organic matter. Ours is growing in potting soil, amended for enrichment.
- Water:Frequency: Water lettuce consistently, especially in hot weather. In the first two weeks, water daily. After that, water every two days or every four to five days, depending on the temperature and shade. In hot climates, you may need to water more than once a day in intense heat. This is true of annuals and any other shallow rooted plants.
- How Much Water: Water deeply enough to keep the soil moist up to two inches deep. Also remember, this is a shallow rooted plant, deep watering is not needed.
- When to Water: Water in the early morning or late afternoon so the sun doesn’t evaporate the water before it soaks in.
- Soil type: Sandy soil drains fast, water it more often than than heavy clay soil.
- Containers: Lettuce, like all plants in containers needs to be watered more frequently than lettuce in garden beds, and especially in the summer.
- Lettuce has shallow roots, so water it when the top inch of soil is dry. You can also help retain moisture by adding a 3-inch layer of mulch.
- Planting: Plant lettuce seeds ¼–½ inch deep. Space head lettuce plants 8–12 inches apart in the row, with rows 12–18 inches apart.
- Harvesting Your Lettuce:Harvest head lettuce when the heads are firm and fully formed, and cut at the soil level. You can harvest leaf lettuce by the leaf once the leaves are large enough to eat.
- Fertilizing: Avoid using fertilizer unless a lab test shows a soil deficiency. Lush, fast-growing plants may be more susceptible to pests.
- Containers: If you’re growing lettuce in a container, make sure it’s at least 6 inches deep and has drainage holes. You can use your shorter pots for lettuce.
Summary,
We are a pair of volunteer Master Gardeners who grew up in families of vegetable gardeners. I remember weeding, and chasing off maurading deer and ponies from the garden. Today I weed the same way, on my knees, but now in our small South Florida garden we grow only a few items.
If you are new to Florida gardening this guide is helpful to making the transition to growing in the wrong time of year and in unusual circumstances.
Raised Beds
Raised beds offer excellent drainage, prevent soil compaction, and make it easier to control soil quality. We use one that is widely accessible, as it is elevated to waist height. They are slightly more expensive than one on the ground but pretty to look at on the patio, and anyone at all can use it.
To get started, choose a sunny location for your raised bed, as most herbs and lettuce varieties thrive in full sun to partial shade.
The elevated bed comes knocked down with all its needed parts. In very few hours it is up and ready to fill. It has lining material but there will be slight drainage below. I find I can just wash any debris away with the hose.
Fill the bed with a well-draining soil mix rich in organic matter. We used organic potting mix, a bagged cow manure product, and peat moss for lightness. Plant lettuce seeds or seedlings and herb transplants according to their specific spacing needs—typically, lettuce needs more space for its shallow roots, while herbs like basil, parsley, and cilantro can be planted a little more densely.
Water consistently to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged, and mulch around plants to help retain moisture and suppress weeds. Regularly harvest lettuce leaves and herb sprigs to encourage continuous growth and prevent bolting, especially in warmer months. We will be growing from October to May. With warm weather at both ends.
Be vigilant about pests and diseases, using organic methods to keep them under control. With the right care, a raised bed can provide a bountiful harvest of fresh lettuce and herbs, enhancing your meals with homegrown flavors and nutrition.
Harvest as you grow, the planting is fun, but this is the best part; cooking something delicious from the little garden. I hope you have as much fun with yours. If you harvest one leaf at a time, and leave enough on the plant you will harvest for a long time. Here is a little help for harvesting your herbs.
Happy digging!