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Is it possible to grow lettuce using a vertical planter in the shaded… | Anything about plants | Comunità di Planta

Keiko

Is it possible to grow lettuce using a vertical planter in the shaded portion of my balcony? **Disclaimer, I’m VERY new to gardening.. Sorry for any silly questions** I live in UT, zone 6b/7a. I’m dying to add some lettuce to my mini porch garden & found a vertical planter on FB marketplace.. I was thinking of putting it in the shaded part of my balcony that gets very little direct sunlight in the summer. Would this work..? Putting different varieties of lettuce in the different levels? …Are the planter boxes even big enough..? Are there certain lettuce varieties I should aim for/ avoid..? Hopefully romaine is still in the mix..? 🙂 So many questions… Any tips are greatly appreciated! Thank you, plant friends! 😊

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6 commenti

  1. Celesta

    Hmmmm... I believe lettuce needs full sun. Putting it in shade would make it very leggy and thin. But that is a beautiful planter! If it's a good price, I would get it anyway. You can experiment and find a plant that works in that spot! The boxes are quite shallow, so be prepared to water more frequently than you would otherwise. Also, check for drainage holes. This is extremely important for planter gardening. It looks from the picture like water can drain through the slits between the wood pieces? That would be good, if so.

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    • Keiko

      Ahhh I always thought leafy greens (like lettuce, kale, spinach, ‘cont) preferred low light and cooler temperatures.. I swear, once I start to understand how certain plants work…. Someone with actual experience tells me otherwise 😂 thank you so much for your response!! I appreciate the expertise :)

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    • Keiko

      Do you have any recommendations for what I can/ should grow in a shaded corner like this? 😅

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    • Celesta

      Oh jeez, I just did a quick search online and you're right about leafy greens. I've always grown them in full sun so i thought that they required it! 🤯 From what I gathered online, it seems like you could find success with your lettuce plan. Most sources were dealing with partial shade as opposed to solely indirect sunlight, as in your situation... But I'd guess they might just end up a little leggier but still fine. I'd love to know what ends up working for you! Please keep us updated 🙏

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    • Celesta

      *i meant to include, thanks for teaching me something new! 🤪 And as for other plant recommendations, you might look into herbs. Idk about you, but it's soooo nice to be able to just step outside and pinch off a fresh sprig of basil or cilantro when a recipe calls for it. They're the things i always forget on the grocery list, so having them in the garden really pays off. And herbs tend to be less picky. In fact, the limited sunlight slows their ability to flower & go to seed, which is nice. I believe mint does especially well in shade and as a bonus, is an especially cute plant imo. Just be prepared to prune more frequently to prevent the legginess that shade causes! Simply pinching off new growth where it seems leggy would work. No science to it 😆

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  2. Celesta

    Also, be aware that soil and moisture up against wood will only last so long. How long exactly depends on what that planter was finished/sealed with, and depends on what type of wood was used. It may last as short as one season if the materials are poor, or may last around 5 years if it's made with cedar or something else good.

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