Harvest lettuce and lettuce correctly: expert tips on the right time, procedure and preservation after a successful lettuce harvest.
Lead (Lactuca sativa) can't get any fresher than straight from your own garden. Luckily, lettuce is extremely easy to grow and even people without green fingers can grow it. And if you plan the cultivation cleverly and plant several types of lettuce in the garden, you can even harvest lettuce almost all year round and enjoy it from your own cultivation. Find out in our article when the best time to harvest has come, how best to do it and how you can keep your lettuce fresh for longer.
(Lactuca sativa) not be at all. Luckily, lettuce is extremely easy to grow and even people without green fingers can grow it. And if you plan the cultivation cleverly and plant several types of lettuce in the garden, you can even harvest lettuce almost all year round and enjoy it from your own cultivation. Find out in our article when the best time to harvest has come, how best to do it and how you can keep your lettuce fresh for longer.
When should you harvest lettuce?
The best time to harvest lettuce is in the afternoon or evening. The reason for this is the different nitrate content in the leaves at different times of the day. The nitrate level is higher in the morning than in the afternoon and evening.
Apart from that, the time of harvest also differs for the different types of lettuce. Lamb's lettuce (Valerianella locusta) can be harvested from the end of February if cultivated throughout the winter. The same goes for endive (Cichorium endivia). Early pick lettuce or cut lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. crispa) can be harvested from the end of April or beginning of May.
In the summer months, lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata), oak leaf lettuce (Lactus sativavar. crispa) between May and September respectively between June and July and iceberg lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata nidus tenerimma ) can be harvested between July and September.You can harvest romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. longif.webpolia) between July and September. Batavia lettuce (Lactuca sativa Crisphead group) is also ready for harvest between June and October. You can then harvest endive and lamb's lettuce in autumn, and lamb's lettuce in winter.
Overview: Harvest times for different types of lettuce
- Harvest lamb's lettuce: November - February
- Harvest endives: End of February
- Harvest lettuce: from the end of April
- Harvest lettuce: May - September
- Harvest oak leaf lettuce: May-September
- Harvest Batavia: June - October
- Harvest iceberg lettuce: July - September
- Harvest romaine lettuce: July - September
Tip: Don't harvest lettuce when it's raining. If the leaves are wet when harvested, they spoil faster.
Lead Harvesting Instructions
Depending on the type of lettuce, either just individual leaves or the whole head of lettuce are harvested. To harvest the head, the stalk is cut off with a sharp knife just above the ground. Alternatively, you can also turn the lettuce out of the ground with the roots. Lettuce for picking or cutting, lamb's lettuce and rocket is harvested leaf by leaf. Pick or cut the largest leaves from the outside in, as needed; the heart of lettuce always stays put. In this way, the seedlings can continue to grow and you can continue to harvest them for a long time.
Overview: Harvesting lettuce
- Use Sharp Knife
- Cut just above the ground
- Or twist the root out of the ground
Overview: Harvesting cut and pick lettuce
- Cut or pick leaves as needed
- Harvest from the outside in
- Always leave lettuce heart out
Shelf life of lettuce after harvest
Nothing beats a crisp, fresh salad. Unfortunately, the green darling does not last very long and withers quickly as soon as it has been harvested. In general, you should eat your lettuce as soon as possible, preferably on the day of harvest. Another rule of thumb is: the harder the leaves, the longer the lettuce will last. Iceberg lettuce is one of the types of lettuce that can be stored longer, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to four days. Romaine lettuce also keeps a little longer, hecan last a week or two in the fridge. Lamb’s lettuce has the shortest shelf life; it actually cannot be stored in the refrigerator undamaged. The following applies to all other types of lettuce: They should be used up within a day or two.
Overview: Shelf life of different types of lettuce
- Rose lettuce: 1 week
- Iceberg lettuce: 4 days
- Head lettuce, batavia lettuce, oak leaf lettuce, pick lettuce: 1 - 2 days
- Eat lamb's lettuce immediately
Preserving salad longer
There are some tricks to make your lettuce last longer after harvest. First, you should remove any wilted or decayed leaves. Lettuce keeps best in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. However, it should not be stored together with fruit or tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum). These produce the ripening gas ethylene, which only causes the leaves to wilt even faster. Lettuce keeps best when wrapped in a damp tea towel. You can also drizzle with lemon juice or vinegar to give the salad an even longer life in the fridge. Lettuce harvested with the root generally lasts longer than cut lettuce. Unlike other vegetables, lettuce cannot be frozen because it gets mushy when thawed.
Tips and tricks to make lettuce last longer:
- Remove wilted leaves
- Keep in the fridge crisper
- Do not store with other fruit or with tomatoes
- Wrap in damp tea towel
- Drizzle with vinegar or lemon juice
- Lead with roots lasts longer
- Do not freeze
Of course, before the harvest comes the planting. Find out everything about planting lettuce here.