In the era of proper nutrition and health care, more and more people are trying to grow vegetables on their own in order to avoid chemical impurities in the finished product and not endanger their body. In this article, you will read about leaf lettuce - a true friend of any self-conscious person.
Benefit or harm
A salad grown in a pot will bring exceptional benefits to the body. Which one?
Due to the low calorie content (12 kcal per 100 g), the salad grown in the pot will not increase the weight; it can be safely eaten in large quantities. Many nutritionists recommend succulent leaves for use in combination with other products. After all, a salad in its pure form does not cause a feeling of satiety.
The rich vitamin and mineral composition of the salad cannot be ignored. It contains vitamins of group B, C, as well as potassium, calcium, sulfur, iodine, phosphorus.
Also useful properties of the product include:
- digestion improvement;
- normalization of the intestines;
- cleansing the body of toxins;
- lower cholesterol;
- improving the condition of hair and nails;
- improvement of skin, memory, vision;
- prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
However, there are contraindications. It is not recommended to use the salad for people with gout, colitis and in the presence of kidney problems.
How to plant a salad
To plant lettuce in a pot, choose plastic containers. Be sure to place a drainage layer of gravel or expanded clay on the bottom. It will help water not stagnate and protect the roots from decay.
Use a special store mix. It does not contain pests and is enriched with the nutrients necessary for the growth of lettuce.
Garden soil may be infected by pests.
Sowing rules
A salad in a pot is planted in compliance with some rules:
- The distance between the rows is at least 10 cm.
- Sowing depth - not more than 0.5 centimeters.
- The soil before sowing needs to be thoroughly moistened.
- Between the seeds should be a distance of 2-3 cm.
- The pot is placed in a dark place and covered with glass or film to create a greenhouse effect.
- When sprouts appear, the pot is exposed to light.
Care
It is easy to grow salad in a pot. It does not require special care. However, it is important to follow some points in order to get a plentiful and healthy crop.
- Lighting. Windows facing southwest and southeast are the best choice. After all, a salad in a pot needs a lot of sun. In winter, additional artificial lighting is needed. The daylight necessary for the correct formation of leaves is 9-14 hours. What can be done? You can use fluorescent lamps, placing them above the plants at a height of half a meter. If there is not enough light for the salad, the plant will stretch and turn white.
- Watering. Humidify the earth as it dries. For irrigation use tap water, but do not forget to let it stand for at least a day. The frequency of watering increases as the lettuce grows.
- Temperature. Room conditions are quite suitable for a salad. In winter, you should not leave the salad in a pot on the windowsill, next to the windows the temperature is always lower. Try to maintain a temperature of 15-20 degrees, the plants will feel comfortable. Do not drop the mercury column of the thermometer below 5 degrees, otherwise the salad will freeze.
Foam Salad
If there is no desire to tinker with the earth, there is an option to grow watercress. This species can be grown on foam.
You will need deep pallets, not less than 5 cm. 3 cm of foam sheet spreads on the bottom, paper towels are laid on top. It is imperative to soak the entire contents with water. Seeds are poured into the paper. The salad in the pot is ready and will grow no worse than in the earthen substrate.
After harvesting, the paper is removed, the foam is washed, and you can use it again and again.
The main condition: in order to grow a salad in a pot in this way, the entire contents of the pallet must be constantly moistened.
Top dressing
The salad has a short lifespan so as not to require mineral fertilizers. Organic methods of feeding in the apartment is not the best solution due to the characteristic smell. Maximum humate can be added when watering. It does not have an unpleasant odor and does not contain chemicals.
Harvest
It would seem that it’s easier than picking a ready-made salad? But with proper collection, the bush will last a long time.
Ready to eat salad a month after planting. Reaches at home 10 cm.
The salad is constantly growing, and in order to get as many leaves as possible, follow the simple rules:
- Collect the leaves early in the morning when the plant is saturated with moisture. So the bush will grow healthy, and the collected leaves will remain strong and fresh longer.
- Cut not the middle. Collect only the outer lettuce leaves in a pot. So the salad will continue to grow and give new leaves for several months.
- Collect once every 2 weeks to give the plant time to recover.
Lettuce leaves are perfectly stored in the refrigerator for 5-8 days, while maintaining their beneficial properties. A frozen product loses taste when defrosted. This storage method is not recommended.
Sowing seeds every 1-2 weeks, you can provide the whole family with greenery. A simple and very healthy salad in a pot deserves its place on the windowsill in your apartment.
And given that, in addition to the undoubted benefits in nutrition, the salad is also beautiful, there is no doubt about whether to plant or not to plant.
Growing an organically pure product, as can be seen from the article, is not at all fraught with difficulties. And he can grow all year round. Pot salad is a great option for people who do not have a household plots, but want to eat healthy food.