An activity to satisfy the soul and give you that good mood feeling – especially during quarantine while we’re stuck at home – is gardening, from your balcony or in your backyard. Not only does gardening allow us to rediscover that “green thumb” we all have inside, but it’s also an excellent way to have fresh, untreated food on hand. Not to mention the beautiful experience of watching it grow day-after-day. And as a plus, growing salad at home is one of the best ideas for starting a small garden – as it doesn't require much space and gives great satisfaction (even for novice growers).
How to grow salad from a leftover lettuce head
This option – often considered the last way to do it – is actually our favorite. Because it helps us avoid wasting food and gives us an understanding of the potential uses for food we’re so used to discarding or throwing away. To experiment with this technique, use the central part of the lettuce head (after you’ve used the outer leaves). Then carve off about an inch of the base of the head and let it rest in a bowl full of water. Expose it to sunlight and change the water once a day for two weeks. When you see the roots and leaves have reached a good size, bury the base in a pot. Within a few days, the sprout will have large leaves – ripe to be picked!
How to grow salad from seeds
You can find seeds to grow salad at the supermarket; just buy a sachet and follow our instructions to germinate the seeds in a protected environment before planting it in soil: Pour some moistened soil into a medium-sized plastic bag. Poke some small holes with a toothpick in the plastic bag and place it upright on a plate. Sprinkle the surface of the soil with the salad seeds. Sprinkle a very thin layer of soil over the seeds and gently wet it using a spray bottle. Cover the bag – leaving a couple of centimeters of space on one side – and let it rest in an abundantly sunny space. Day after day, check on your "mini greenhouse" and pick the leaves once they’re ready to be enjoyed!
How to grow salad from seedlings
The technique that will best allow you to grow large, generous lettuce leaves will come from using small, ready-made seedlings. This version also requires the “greenhouse” treatment (like we used for the previous technique) in order to protect it from sudden changes in temperature. To cultivate salad from seedlings, start by preparing a pot with sand and gravel at the bottom – both of which are used to drain and moisten the soil. Bury the seedlings, leaving enough space between each one to grow (we recommend a rectangular pot for this reason). Wet the seedlings regularly and protect them with a light cloth capable of filtering sunlight. Once the leaves have grown, pick the lettuce by cutting the head a couple of centimeters from the base. Continue taking care of the buried part of the lettuce – as it is able to generate new leaves.
The perfect soil
Soil is at the core of successful lettuce-growing at home. It should be soft and light, but also rich in sulphur. If you don't have access to suitable potting soil, bury some old matches! The wood is biodegradable and it will not compromise the salad's growing environment; the sulphur on the top will be absorbed slowly over time.