Plant and care for lamb's lettuce
- Contents: Cultivate lamb's lettuce
- Variety of lamb's lettuce
- Sowing and harvesting the rapunzel salad
- Diseases and pests
The lamb's lettuce belongs to the valerian family and has been cultivated since the 20th century as a cultivated plant. He is related to no other type of vegetables, is considered to be particularly healthy and rich in vitamins and is often referred to as Rapunzelsalat. Formerly regarded as an unpleasant weed and plucked, lamb's lettuce is today cultivated as a delicious delicacy in many gardens and greenhouses.
Contents: Cultivate lamb's lettuce
- Variety of lamb's lettuce
- site conditions
- Sowing and harvesting the rapunzel salad
- Sowing in the summer
- September seeding as afterculture
Variety of lamb's lettuce
The plant genus of lamb's lettuce comprises about 80 varieties, which allow a visual as well as flavor variety. For the garden use offered varieties all come from the wild kind "Valerianella locusta" from. Particularly common is the "ordinary corn salad", which is a fresh side dish in cold winter months due to its slightly nutty aroma.
The corn salad is as autumn culture in two different breeds available:
- Special autumn varieties form tender and light green leaves.
- Louvier types are more compact and robust, making them ideal for winter growing.
Special new varieties can also be planted in the spring, ie the end of February to the beginning of March. Each hobby gardener should also learn about resistant varieties and prefer them for cultivation in order to prevent fungal diseases in advance. The "ordinary lamb's lettuce", the "dark green wholesome" or the variety "verte à cœur pleine" are particularly suitable for cultivating in the vegetable garden.
The cultivation of lamb's lettuce is always to be regarded as positive, experts speak in this salad plant even from a green manure, since the lettuce forms many roots, which contribute to an improvement in soil quality.
site conditions
The leafy vegetables are considered undemanding and can be cultivated both in the field and in the greenhouse or under a plastic tunnel. The corn salad also thrives in the balcony box. Especially important for healthy plant growth is sufficient sunlight and a calcareous clay soil as possible.
In general, the annual lettuce germinates in other moderately nutrient-rich garden soils and tolerates any Vorfrucht.
Sowing and harvesting the rapunzel salad
For sowing lamb's lettuce, the vegetable patch must be removed and prepared accordingly. Sown in parallel double rows, which should have a distance of 10 cm to each other. The depth of the Saatrillen is only 1 - 2 cm.
Now place the seeds in the grooves at a distance of 10 - 15 cm, cover them with soil lightly, press them or roll the soil tightly and moisten them additionally.
tip: If the plants are too close to each other, the rosettes remain small and the lower leaves turn yellow. Therefore, when planting, choose a sufficient distance between the individual seeds to ensure optimal development of the plants. This will save you a later separation.
The ideal harvest time is after sunset, because now the nitrate content in the salad is particularly low. If you would like to harvest the entire rosette, the cut should be made shortly above the roots with a large kitchen scissors. In this way, the roots remain in the soil and can produce new lettuce plants next year.
tip: The picked lamb's lettuce can only be kept in the fridge for a few days - so always harvest small portions for fresh consumption.
The main harvest season of lamb's lettuce is between October and May. Decisive for the desired harvest date is the time of sowing. For field salad, two sowing times have proved to be ideal: the summer (mid-July - mid-August) and the late autumn (early - mid-September).
tip: The end of the harvest season should be in April, otherwise the lettuce plants will begin to shoot, d. H. they grow up instead of forming a head.
Sowing in the summer
Corn salad grows very fast. For a summer sowing between July and August, you can harvest it after about 10 weeks in September or October, because the young plants are exposed to a lot of sunlight.
But be careful: The lettuce plants have a very high water requirement and suffer quickly from an incipient summer drought. If you want to plant your seeds (or pre-cultivated lettuce plants) in mid-summer, you must pay attention to a well-moistened soil - even before sowing. Only then can the leafy vegetables thrive until the autumn.
With a summer sowing can be waived from an additional fertilization. The nutrients in the summer soil are sufficient for healthy plant growth. Through regular weeding and a treatment of the beet with compost plant growth is additionally supported.
September seeding as afterculture
Corn salad is ideal as an afterculture in the vegetable patch and is therefore often planted only in late summer as septembers. The high humidity of the cold months has a favorable effect on the growth of the plants. Nevertheless, at temperatures below 8° C to a growth stop, whereby the winter harvest usually takes place only in the spring. Harvest ripe, late-planted lamb's lettuce due to the frosty temperatures between November and February.
As a guide: The later the year of sowing, the slower the plants will grow.
As a hardy plant, the lamb's lettuce can easily overwinter in the garden, it can withstand temperatures down to -15° C. Nevertheless, to protect against cold and frost, it is recommended to use special nonwovens that are stretched over the vegetable patch. Targeted ventilation on mild days prevents fungal infestation and harvest-ready lettuce plants can be carefully picked.
Likewise, it must be thought of additional fertilization in winter, as it is due to frost to a nutrient deficiency in the soil. Ideally, organic vegetable fertilizer is distributed between the rows of seeds and worked well into the winter soil.
preculture
If you want to give your corn salad a growth advantage over weeds, you can pre-cultivate the salad in pot plates. For this purpose, 3 - 5 seeds per pot are planted in seedling soil and after 4 weeks planted at a distance of 10 cm in the bed.
As an alternative to potting soil, a mixture of compost, garden soil and sand has proven itself.
Diseases and pests
The delicate leaves of corn salad often suffer from aphid infestation. If necessary, one should resort to special pesticides, which are available in well-stocked garden shops.
Prevent the harmful fungus of mildew with the purchase of specially bred and resistant varieties. The so-called "powdery mildew" leads to a floury topping on the top of the leaves, the "downy mildew" gives rise to yellow areas on the underside of the leaf. Infested plants should be removed and then disposed of on the compost.
Also, too high salt content in the soil can be the cause of poor plant growth. The salt-sensitive lamb's lettuce can thrive poorly in excessive mineral fertilization and develops leathery leaves. By adjusting the fertilization of this problem can be corrected quickly at home cultivation of corn salad.
FAQ - 💬
❓ Does lambs lettuce grow back?
👉 Corn salad will grow happily in nearly all garden soils and situations, so it's very useful as a winter salad, or as an undercrop for other vegetables like winter brassicas. You can cultivate it either as a cut-and-come-again crop or as individual plants.
❓ Is Lambs lettuce easy to grow?
👉 Lamb's lettuce, also known as corn salad, is a favorite crop for autumn and winter produce. Lamb's lettuce is very easy to grow and stands well in freezing temperatures.
❓ How do you cut lambs lettuce?
👉 0:361:26Lamb's lettuce - hardy leaves for winterStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf the plants are big and healthy I harvest leaf by leaf by gently cutting the leaf from the stemMoreIf the plants are big and healthy I harvest leaf by leaf by gently cutting the leaf from the stem from the bottom upwards. But most often I chose to cut down the entire plant.
❓ What does lamb's lettuce look like?
👉 Sometimes known as Corn Salad, lamb's lettuce has long spoon-shaped dark leaves and a distinctive, tangy flavour. It is used raw in salads as well as steamed and served as a vegetable. The unusual name reputedly comes from the lettuce's resemblance to the size and shape of a lamb's tongue.
❓ How long does it take to grow lambs lettuce?
👉 40-70 daysPlants will complete their growth cycle in 40-70 days, depending on conditions, and it is therefore best to have a continuous supply.
❓ How long does lambs lettuce take to grow?
👉 Corn salad is fairly slow growing, it can take 12 weeks to mature.
❓ When should I plant lambs lettuce?
👉 How to grow Corn Salad (Lambs Lettuce)
- Sowing Time. Any time between February-September.
- Crop Care. Sow thinly in drills ½” deep in drills 6” apart. ...
- Harvest. Harvest leaves individually or cut across the plants leaving them to re-sprout for a second cut.
❓ Is Lambs lettuce Hardy?
👉 Lamb's lettuce, also known as corn salad or mache, is a low growing salad with small dark green leaves and it is very hardy.
❓ How long do Lambs lettuce take to grow?
👉 40-70 daysIt's up to you if you like the small baby leaves, larger leaves or prefer to harvest the whole plant as a larger rosette. Plants will complete their growth cycle in 40-70 days, depending on conditions, and it is therefore best to have a continuous supply.
❓ Is lamb's lettuce good for you?
👉 Lamb's lettuce is rich in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that turns into vitamin A in the body. This vitamin plays a role in iron metabolism, immune system health, growth, eyesight, and good skin health.
❓ Does lambs lettuce self seed?
👉 Short version: A slow growing, winter hardy salad that grows in short rosettes and happily self-seeds. It can be sown direct into most soils but also does well in pots on balconies and rooftops.