The ability to grow lettuce indoors in water is a fantastic activity for the whole family! It provides a sense of achievement when using leftover lettuce crowns and roots in a jar of water to extend the plant’s life. However, the best way to grow lettuce indoors in water is to plant the seed in a hydroponic system or use seed pods in an AeroGarden unit.
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Regrowing lettuce
As I was growing up, Mum used to keep the lettuce crowns for me to grow in water. Lettuces in those days were not the fancy type we get in today’s market. It was just standard lettuce purchased at the markets, and some used to have roots still attached that were not cut off.
Mum would pull the centre out of the lettuce, and she never used a knife; instead, she would grab and twist and out came the middle part. I used to get a jar, add water halfway up, place the roots and stem inside the jam jar. I would put it on the windowsill where the sun could provide lighting. The lettuce would grow from the top. Mum or Dad would let me know when to change the water.
I often had half a dozen jars sitting along the windowsill, and Mum would pick at the lettuce when the leaves grew and put them on sandwiches or in a salad. Growing lettuce from scraps would save my Mum money as the food budget was very tight when I was young; we did not waste food in those days.
Some scrap lettuces produced leaves, and others did not do so good. Sometimes they would bolt and flower; when they did this, Dad would gather the seed from them, save them, and plant them in his greenhouse during winter, ready for spring planting.
I found growing lettuce from crowns a tremendous indoor activity as a child I.’m sure other children would love it too!
So, what type of lettuce leftover are best suited to grow in a jar?
I would experiment with a variety of your favourite lettuces. What works for some people may not work for others. The success rate depends on the time of year and the temperature within your home.
Another great activity to include is to measure the leaves to see how fast they are growing each day. Children will love it!
Seed either collected from your garden or bought from a garden centre
So, you have decided to grow lettuce from seed without dirt. Lettuces can be grown outdoors, but there are pros and cons to successfully homegrown lettuce.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to grow | needs sun in winter |
| Lovely homegrown taste | needs cooler climate during summer |
| Requires low light | needs moisture |
| Coole temperature | hates hot weather |
| fast-growing | can bolt to seed before harvest |
| Ideal for hydroponics or Aerogardens | requires room temperature of about 20-25 degrees Celsius |
| Ready for harvest between 30-60 days | can be susceptible to caterpillars and bugs when plants are under stress. |
If you grow seed in a hydroponic system, you will need to sow 5 to 10 seeds per seedling cube and plant about 7 inches apart for larger lettuces.
If you are planting varieties of loose lettuce leaves plan,t about 3-10 in each pot, and as they grow, you can harvest back to 1-2 plants to maturity.
NOTE: Root systems of lettuces are relatively shallow and require lots of water.
AeroGarden Seed Pods
If you have an AeroGarden system, you can grow lettuce using the seed pods that come in a kit. You can grow lettuces all year round, indoors, under grow lights.
Lettuces are ready to harvest in about four weeks and can last between 3 to 4 months, depending on variety and how fast they grow.
Homegrown lettuce is tastier than commercially grown. It’s grown organically without pesticides and is a non-GMO product. I often hear that someone has become sick from eating salad greens and spinach with E.Coli infection.
E.coli has been on the news when someone has been contaminated. Contamination can come from organic and non-organic farms, contaminating the produce with bird and cow waste.
Contamination of salad leaves will make us very sick, and we can get urinary tract infections and diarrhea, in extreme cases, death.
Therefore, it is essential to wash your lettuce, even from organic farms. But growing your own indoors away from birds and cows, you have a less likely chance of having your salad greens infected
What are the best salad greens to grow in my AeroGarden?
The best-variety greens to grow in the AeroGraden Is the red/leaf, Mixed Romaine and butterhead.
Heirloom Salad Greens: Black Seeded Simpson, Deer Tongue, Firecracker, Marvel of 4 seasons, Rouge d Hiver and Parris Island.
When you get your AeroGarden lettuce pods, there are some tips and tricks to successful lettuces:
- Keep the position of the grow lights between 4 to 6 inches above the plant growth
- Don’t let the lettuce leaves touch the grow lights
Lettuce is one of the most successful plants to grow, and you could try the “grow anything kit” and use your seeds to experiment.
To watch a video on growing lettuce
How do I Prune lettuce?
Pruning your lettuce plant is what you need to do to boost growth and increase your yield.
- Harvest 3 weeks after seeds have been planted
- Pick lettuce 2-3 times a week
- What should I use to remove the leaves: scissors, pruning shears, or use your fingers to pinch off at the base of the plant
- Make the cut 1-2 inches from the top of lettuce, don’t cut off more than 1/3 leave 2/3 of the plant
- To allow more light between plants cut off the leaves close to the base of the stem
- Keep you grow lights low to produce more leaves.
==If you want to know more about growing lettuce in an AeroGarden, click here==
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In conclusion
Growing lettuce from scraps, seeds or seed pods can yield an abundance of lettuce leaves to add them ur favourite salads or sandwiches. Experimenting is a great activity to get your children involved and eat what they’ve grown.
If you are an AeroGarden lover or would like to become one, I would love to hear your feedback about the unit your use, plants you’ve grown successfully or what issues you’ve had while using AeroGarden products.
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All the Best from Yvonne.
I love your sharing to try growing lettuce indoors, and it sounds fun. If it’s cold outside, I think I can try this to have veggies for eating. I also like the pros and cons of this growing technique. It might sound easy at first, but there is still something you need to consider, which is nice to know. In winter, there is not enough light. Do you turn on the light to make them grow? Thanks.
Hi Matt
If you are using an AeroGarden unit you would set the timer for the lights to turn on. I have mine set for 6 am and turn off at 10 pm. I have a good rate of growth. I am doing a project on herbs at the moment and I’m thinking about doing one on Lettuces in a few months time. Lettuces don’t like the rooms too hot, you may have to raise the grow lights as the leaves grow taller. You should be able to grow your salad leaves in the middle of winter indoors. Have been some help? If you have further questions. Please ask
Lettuce is another great favorite of mine as it gives the most refreshing salad base. Thanks for this one Yvonne.
I have been reading all your articles and I am so inspired to take up indoor gardening. Though I do have a small kitchen garden outside, yet it isn’t really sufficient for my needs.
Luv,
Aps
Hello Aparna
I find at times if the weather is bad I tend not to go outside for anything. I am hoping to do another project on growing lettuce in my AeroGarden to follow on from my herbs.