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Lettuce is traditionally a cooler weather crop. One of the GREAT things about a Tower Garden is that you can grow Lettuce, even in South Florida, in the Summer (click here to read our tips to help you grow through the summer). You find very few farms or families growing lettuce in the ground in Florida, in the Summer. So why can you do this in a Tower Garden? It’s all down to the 20 gallon reservoir! 20 gallons of water will never get as warm as the outside air temperature. You are literally cooling the plant from the inside out whenever the pump is running.
Here are some facts about lettuce.
- Lettuce is part of the sunflower family.
- Raw leaf lettuce has concentrations of only two vitamins: vitamins C and A.*
- A cup of chopped, raw leaf lettuce has 10.16 grams of calcium.*
- One cup of chopped, raw leaf lettuce has over 162 milligrams of potassium and just under 1 mg of iron.*
- Substitute large leaves for tortillas to make a healthy low carb wrap.
- In 2009 California produced more than 75% of the nation’s head lettuce. (US Census Bureau, 2010)*
- Lettuce (of all types) is the second most popular fresh vegetable in the United States behind #1 potatoes*
- The ancient Greeks believed that lettuce induced sleep, so they served it at the end of the meal. The Romans continued the custom. However, the dictatorial Emperor Domitian (81-96 AD) served it at the beginning of his feasts, so he could torture his guests by forcing them to stay awake in the presence of the Emperor.*
Watch the video below to learn more about harvesting lettuce to ensure you have more than one harvest.
The Lettuce Growing Guide, written by the fantastic folks at Tower Garden, is a fantastic illustrated guide to help even the brown thumbed beginner successfully grow lettuce year round! You’ll learn how to seed lettuce (for both summer and winter growing), harvest and identify common pests and diseases.Don’t own a Tower Garden yet? Check out our post here explaining why the Tower Garden is the answer to so many problems we face today (rising fuel cost, rising food costs, pesticides, contamination, sustainability and more).* Source www.livestrong.com and www.foodreference.com
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