How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Lettuce from Seeds

• Plant in full sun. Don't plant it in the same spot twice, or it may succumb to wilt.
• Dig deeply prior to planting. Mix in organic soil amendment and add fertilizer that's recommended for vegetables to the top 6 inches of soil, following package directions.
• Distribute the seed down a wide row, or on a raised bed at a rate of about 3 seeds for every 2 square inches of soil surface.
• Cover the seed very lightly with potting soil (about 1/4 inch), and water by sprinkling lightly (use a misting valve). Continue to keep the seed bed damp by sprinkling daily until the seeds sprout - in three to seven days. Then lengthen the watering times and water more deeply. (If your lettuce seeds don't germinate, your soil may be too salty. Give the soil a long deep soaking to leach out salts. Plant again with fresh seed.)
• Stimulate fast growth with plenty of water and fertilizer.
• Protect the plants from slugs.
• Thin seedlings according to package directions.
• If you'd like to grow lettuce but don't have space, plant it in pots or half-barrels filled with potting soil. Feed every two weeks with liquid fertilizer recommended for vegetables.
• Harvest whole heads of lettuce. Leave the roots in the ground, feed and water them, and they will grow new heads. You may lengthen your harvest by taking off only the outside leaves as needed.

Organic foods are basically foods that are grown without any chemicals or pesticides added, and that are grown only with substances found in nature. These foods are very popular with men and women who want to eat healthfully or support the environment in general. Public interest in organic food has grown in recent years, going from the shelves at GNC to the shelves of many public supermarkets — and now, to your garden.

The interest in organic foods has grown since NBC stated that every year, 9,000 people die of food-related illnesses in the US alone. Since then, the organic food industry has grown tremendously, now selling $10 billion worth of natural foods each year.

Interested in your own organic garden? Here's how to get started:

• For eventual use as fertilizer and mulch, make your own compost pile for recycling dead plant material, including that from your kitchen. (Do not use material from diseased or pest-infested plants.)
• Use natural fertilizers instead of ones made of manufactured chemicals.
• Instead of using chemicals to defend your plants, use other gardening techniques to prevent your plant from getting diseases or pests. Ask us for organic tips to keep your plants growing healthy.
• Instead of using weed killer, use a weed-pulling tool to pull the weeds. Use thick mulch to help keep weeds down.

We have an extensive line of organic products to help you. Come and see us!

Erica Margarito

Erica was born and raised in San Jose. She developed her love of plants at age 10 when she once fell into five rose bushes playing tag with her brother.

In high school Erica was an honor roll student and a skilled soccer player. She is now an honor student at San Jose State where she is studying to become an emergency room nurse so she can "fix people."

Her craziest adventure was driving through Hurricane Charlie without windshield wipers on a trip to North Carolina.

Not one to shy away from needles, pain or the sight of blood, Erica can easily become unraveled at the sound of two pieces of Styrofoam being rubbed together.