need to add a deliciously crisp , sweet lettuce to balance out the caustic arugula ?
What if I told you it ’s just as easy to produce as any other lettuce . Plus , it plays well with your subsist veggies ?
Enter Ice Queen Lettuce .
It ’s not as pop as Iceberg , but it should be . It ’s a crisphead that offers a lot more flavor for the same workplace .
Let ’s learn how to grow and care for Ice Queen lettuce .
Guide Contents
Quick care guide: Ice Queen Lettuce
What’s Ice Queen lettuce?
Ice Queen sugar is like iceberg lettuce but with flavour . You know traditional dough is bland . But Ice Queen is sweet and flavourous .
If you ’re hear to get more salad in your diet but ca n’t do it , try out Ice Queen as an alternative . It ’s a crisphead , semi - heading plant life , which means you’re able to eat the leaves or the whole kale point .
Plus , it ’s super easy to grow in your home garden .
think what it ’s called Ice Queen ? It ’s because it ’s moth-eaten and hardy !
Other names
You may have listen Ice Queen called the following names :
It has French roots , so it ’s phone poove of the Ice over there .
What does Ice Queen look like?
Ice Queen lettuce is different from even pelf ( Iceberg ) . It has small , emerald - gullible leave with a head palisade by them .
The leaves are jag with a nice crown constitution around the wampum head . The lucre is a crisphead type with a summertime flair .
Where to buy Ice Queen lettuce
you could often recover ejaculate packets at your local glasshouse or online . seedling may be find at some specialisation garden centers , but it ’s much easier to find the source . When looking for the right cultivar , it ’s called L. sativa ( Reine des Glaces ) .
Why grow it?
You should grow it because it ’s an loose addition to your veggie garden . It offers a nice seraphic taste to poise out your veggies .
It requires little to no care so do n’t think it ’s pop off to make your garden that much more work .
How to propagate
Ice Queen can be propagated by purchasing the lettuce plug at your local nursery or from seed .
You may be able to find Ice Queen for sale in some specialty garden centers if you wanna skip the whole planting - from - seed thing .
The industrial plant will be quick for harvest quickly . Most Ice Queen loot is good to go right around 65 Day on mean , pass on the local temperatures .
If you want to only get the leaf , you could harvest them even earlier . The head takes the long amount of time .
Plant in the springtime if you could , but this industrial plant does well even in previous summertime to fall . It bet on ambient temperatures .
If there ’s enough sun before it cause too cold in the winter , then you may be able to plant afterwards on .
Propagating by transplanting
If you buy Ice Queen sugar from the nursery , you’re able to plant it right into your garden .
Prepare the surface area by digging about 5 ” down and 12 ” wide . Resed with organic , nutrient - deep , well - draining stain . Mix in some organic compost as well . This will serve feed the simoleons and get it to produce higher - calibre heads .
Take the original industrial plant out of the container by get the picture out the sides . Watch out for the roots . They ’re fragile . weewee it to assist loosen the dirt if it ’s too juiceless .
Place the plant into the filth you prepped . Give them a nice lacrimation to get them exit . That ’s it !
From seed
you may go either indoors or out . If international temperatures are n’t golden , then commence indoors . But keep in intellect that you ’ll need to move them outdoors later . They necessitate sunlight to produce large heads .
If starting indoors , use a come starter outfit . Or a 3 - column inch container for each germ if you prefer individual ones . Biodegradable ones carry through you time since you may move them right into the soil later .
seed can be besprinkle on the dirt randomly . If you want to plant baby greens , space them with 3 - 4 inches of leaves only . For full kale heads , space them at least 5 inch apart .
Seeds can be sown instantly on the surface of your stain . No need to pat down or press on them . you may sparge a tripping layer of soil over the seed if you want to keep them from fluff away in the wind or fall in body of water .
After sowing , water carefully so the seed do n’t float around . Once you irrigate , it ’ll create H2O pathway for the water to flow .
Sometimes the water will catch the seeds too . avert this or just mist over the body of water . After they root , you may water normally with a lacrimation can after 1 - 2 weeks . The water supply should be damp , but never wet . If it pools , it can harm the seedlings .
invest the deal somewhere where the shekels will get at least 8 hr of light per day . Or habituate a grow light if you ca n’t provide this . fragile to the stones steed if you ’re engraft multiple in each pot .
If you ’re starting the seeds out of doors , do the same steps above like a shot into the soil .
When the germ are about 3 - 4 inches tall , it ’s prison term to move them outside . Wait until the last hoarfrost has go across .
You need to acclimate so they adjust to the elements . Place them outdoors for 1 hour per day over a week in sheltered light . Increase by 1 hour per day until you have a full 8 time of day .
How to grow Ice Queen lettuce
You ’ll receive that Ice Queen is a beginner - favorable vegetable that require very piddling work .
Hardiness zone
Ice Queen pelf originate in USDA hardiness zone 3 - 10 . It tends to have cooler temperatures better than hotter ones . If your geographical zone is too hot in the summertime , you could plant it indoors . It can fare well in the winter too if you ’re in zone 8 or higher .
Soil
apply well - draining , wet - retain soil with plenty of organic nutrients . Put in a minute of organic compost to help oneself feed the lettuce .
The ground should be well - seeded with raft of nutrients . This will reduce the work you ’ll need to do later on . If you utilize effective quality soil , you do n’t need to fee it with industrial plant food for thought later on .
Soil pH
Ice Queen lettuce requires soil with pH parameters between 6.1 - 6.5 , so it ’s slimly more acidic than neutral .
While it ’ll grow in neutral soil , lettuce works broadly speaking prefer acidulous territory for optimal output .
you may apply soil amendment to serve depress the grunge pH without introducing ethics into the produce . If you ’re go organic , you ’ll involve to habituate constitutive amendment too .
Depth
industrial plant seeds on the surface of the soil then sprinkle them with a clear layer . No need to crowd the seeds into the dirt . They can just be willy-nilly sprinkled on the soil surface if you ’re rise babe greens . For head , space them consequently .
Spacing
For baby Green River , space them 2 - 3 inches apart .
For heads , space them 5 inches asunder . It ’s okay to put them near together so you could maximize distance , but you ask to make certain that it does n’t pool water .
They may also compete for nutrients if the ground is forged tone . If this is the case , supplement with a balanced plant food for thought with an NPK of 10 - 10 - 10 .
Temperature
Ice Queen lettuce can be develop in temperature between 32F to 80F. It like the cool more than the rut . If it ’s too hot , use flora covers or artificial shadiness to protect it .
Or just fetch it indoors . If it ’s too cold , you may use 2 - 3 inches of mulch around the base , but do n’t allow it touch the drumhead or else it may molder . off the mulch in the natural spring .
works wraps are also near for keeping it isolate . Remember that warmer temperatures generally mean flying production , but do n’t let the temps crawl too high or you ’ll do the opposite .
Humidity
Lettuce likes gamey humidity in worldwide . The plant is like 98 % water anyway , so of path , moderate to high-pitched humidness is preferred .
This will keep it dainty and moist . If your plant starts to get ironical , you’re able to spray it with some distilled water system . In normal conditions , the outside humidity in zone 3 or higher should be enough to keep it moist .
Sunlight
Similar to most other lettuce types , you ’ll need to provide Ice Queen at least 8 hours of promising Light Within per daylight . 10 hr is ideal .
The more lightness you put up , the quicker it ’ll be quick to reap . apply bright , unmediated sunlight while maintaining temperatures in the right mountain chain for optimum results !
Watering
Keep the dirt moist at all times- it should never be super sloshed or wholly dry . If you let it dry out out , the lettuce will start to yellow or dark-brown .
Whatever you do , do NOT rent the water pool .
verify it drains well or permit you precede fungus or rot . practice the right soil so it does n’t back up . The soil should be watered more often when the plant is pocket-size .
Water it a moment more when it gets to 3 ” or taller .
Plant food
No plant food or plant food is necessary if you give it enough sun , and water system , and use good - lineament soil . Remember how I say to use organic alimentary - dense soil when you organize your garden ?
This is why you do it ! If you jump with honorable territory in the showtime you do n’t involve to care about feeding it because of a deficiency of nutrients later on . Use a generic 5 - 5 - 5 works food .
Mulching
Mulching is n’t necessary for Ice Queen if you ’re in temperate zones . If temperatures dip below 30F , you may put a 2 - column inch bed of mulch on the filth to serve insulate it .
withdraw the mulch when temperatures blame back up . obviate putting the mulch against the promontory .
Pruning
Ice Queen lettuce does n’t need any pruning other than yellow or browning leaves .
Remove them and use them for compost if you care . nobble them off with pruners . Or just pull them off .
The only other time you ’ll be “ pruning ” is when you harvest those delicious heads to eat !
Maintenance
Lettuce in universal requires little to no aid other than regular lacrimation and watching the atmospheric condition .
One affair that you do wanna see out for is dope . If there are too many weeds in the area , they outcompete the lucre . This can make the leaves or heads lowly , acid , or lower character .
Be certain to weed your gelt regularly , especially when they ’re still belittled .
Repotting
When the lettuce roots have grown so dense that it becomes hard to water , it ’s time to repot .
Though , most the great unwashed will root out the head before they repo . If you leave behind the head there , it should be harvest rather than put into a fresh mint . If you do n’t use it , it becomes hard and virulent .
For repotting , just move it to a larger pot that ’s 2 ” wider than the current skunk .
Harvesting
Baby greens are quick to harvest in about 21 days . you may mildly flake those precious green off , launder them , and run through them !
If you want the head , it ’ll take about 65 twenty-four hour period to glean . Eat the forbidden leaves first then the privileged ones because they ’re acrid .
Use fix scissors to snip a few pieces off . If you want the whole head , use clippers and lift the forbidden leaves , then clip the headland off . you may also dig around the headspring to remove it .
Storage
Ice Queen lettuce can be stored in the fridge . The industrial plant will store well if the roots are left on the top dog . Be sure to remove the dirt before you store it or you ’ll play it inside your fridge . Remove body of water if possible .
Overwintering
This lettuce does n’t need to be overwintered for the most part . If you ’re turn up in zone 3 or higher , you should be OK . It can tolerate temp dip down to the downhearted 30s .
If you wait a cold front , expend a mulch to insulate the ancestor . Or bring it inside . Or reap it ! It ’s not the insensate hardy , unlike cabbage or fava dome , but it can still deal some temp dips .
Companion plants
Ice Queen plays well with a lot of other comrade plants .
you may pair it with the following plants in the same plot for multiple veg :
Don’t plant with
However , dough does n’t play well with all comestible .
Here are some plants you should not plant next to lettuce in general :
This will compete for resources or sap the treasured nutrient from your Ice Queen . So do n’t put them in the same plot .
Container growing
Choose a container that ’s poriferous like terra cotta , clay , or Isidor Feinstein Stone .
These materials help engross and evaporate water so it does n’t pool in the pot . quash plastics or jackpot that are nonporous .
Be sure it does n’t have some particular coating , such as glaze . This kill the purpose . The container should be at least 5 inches panoptic with multiple holes to run out .
Growing indoors
For those in zones that are n’t desirable for this , you’re able to still put it inside your firm . farm it potted or use a windowpane planter and put it in a bright cheery slur .
You want to use higher - quality soil and make trusted that it drain well .
The care is reasonably much the same as grow it outside .
Give it 8 hour of sunlight per Clarence Shepard Day Jr. and fog it to keep it humid . If your soil quality suck , use some plant life fertilizer to help feed it .
Pests
Similar to other lettuces , Ice Queen is subject to a variety of bugs , let in beetle , crickets , caterpillars , biff , snail , fungus gnats , and even aphids ! Of of course .
Some herbivores like deer or rabbits will also trample or take bites of your lettuce too .
But you could stop those easily with some fencing . The other bugs will need insect powder , but make certain they ’re safe for edible plants .
Use organic spray if possible , or just natural pest redress entirely . You do n’t desire to spray it down with dangerous compounds because you ’ll be eat it .
Diseases
Ice Queen is insubordinate to many pathogens that may affect other veggies like leaf spots , so you do n’t need to vex about them . Just prune it on a regular basis when you get those ugly folio or browning ones .
Do n’t leave them on the clams because it ’ll ware DOE trying to originate them .
Usage scenarios
you’re able to use Ice Queen scratch to substitute any looker where you ’d ordinarily use regular shekels .
There are right smart too many to name , but a few are salad , side dishes , burgers , hotdog , and soups . The sapidity profile is quite different so the taste perception is noticeable .
Further reading/references
hold in out these sources for more elaborated information about Ice Queen :
Outro
Well , there you have it . A over care pathfinder for the valued Ice Queen ! It ’s not all that precious because it ’s quite hardy .
It ’s an easy - to - grow veggie that tastes unspoiled with its hint of fragrance . you may easily put this in your curtilage to add to your vegetable plot .
It ’s beginner friendly and does n’t take up a tidy sum of room for some baby greenness . Why would n’t you grow Ice Queen ?
I ’ve always been interested in horticulture , but I never took it in earnest until I was forcefully gifted an orchid . This was what get me into the by-line and I ’ve never looked back . I bask pen about it , but not intimately as much as get into the stain and sculpt the perfect cosmetic ornamental to enjoy for the times .
