2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Field salad (lat. Valerianella locusta) - a representative of the Valerianella family of the Valerian family. A relatively new spicy-aromatic culture. Other names - valerianella garden, valerianella spikelet, "rapunzel". Natural range - Asia, Europe, North Africa. Today it is widely cultivated throughout the globe.
Characteristics of culture
Field lettuce is an annual herb up to 40 cm high with an angular-furrowed or rounded branching stem. The lower leaves are obtuse, spatulate; middle - oblong-lanceolate; the upper ones are linear. The flowers are small, white in color, collected in dense semi-umbellate inflorescences. Fruits are three-celled (two are sterile), round or ovoid. Field lettuce blooms in late April - early May, fruits ripen in late May - early June.
The subtleties of growing
Lettuce is propagated by seeds. Seeds are sown directly into open ground, but growing by seedlings is not prohibited. It is possible to sow a crop at different times, since it has a short growing season. In central Russia, field lettuce is recommended to be sown in early spring, since plants have a negative attitude towards high temperatures. You can sow a crop in the fall under a shelter in the form of straw or humus.
Field salad is an unpretentious plant, but to obtain abundant green mass, the crop should be grown on fertile, loose, neutral or slightly acidic soils. The best precursors are herbs, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, onions, carrots, and other root vegetables. Plants respond positively to fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers. For digging, compost or humus is introduced in an amount of 1-2 kg per square meter, superphosphate - 15-20 g, wood ash - 20-30 g. The depth of seeding is 1-2 cm. The distance between plants should be about 10-15 cm, between the rows - 35-45 cm.
Care
Field salad is moisture-loving, it needs regular and abundant watering. During a prolonged drought, the volume of water increases by 2-3 times. Waterlogging and overdrying should not be allowed. Fertilizers are applied only for digging; during the growing season, this procedure is not required. The introduction of large doses of fresh organic matter and nitrogen fertilizers, as a rule, leads to the accumulation of nitrates by plants, making them unsuitable for food.
Popular varieties
The most popular among Russian gardeners are the following varieties: Spikelet, Large-seeded, Espromt, Lozhkolistny, Etampsky, Winter, Holland broadleaf, Deep sleep, Dark green.
Application
Field salad is used in cooking. Green parts of plants are used in the preparation of vegetable salads, soups, main courses and sauces. The field salad is especially good in harmony with apples, beets, nuts and chicory. Doctors say that field salad is very useful. It should be used by people of all ages and professions, because it strengthens the immune system and saturates the body with vitamins and other useful substances.
Recommended:
Field Bindweed
Field bindweed is one of the plants of the family called bindweed, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Convolvulus arvensis L. This crop is a perennial herb. Field bindweed description The stem of this plant can be both climbing and creeping, this stem is ribbed, and its length can reach about one meter.
Field Toad
Field toad is one of the plants of the family called Asteraceae or Compositae, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Felago arvensis L. As for the name of the field toad family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Asteraceae Dumort.
Larkspur Field
Larkspur field is one of the plants of the family called buttercups, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Consolida regalis S. F. Isray. As for the name of the larkspur family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Ranunculoceae Juss.
Field Mint
Field mint is one of the plants of the family called labiates, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Mentha arvensis L. As for the name of the field mint family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Lamiaceae Lindl. Description of field mint Field mint is also known under the following popular names:
Field Calendula
Field calendula is one of the plants of the family called Asteraceae or Compositae, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Calendula arvensis L. As for the name of the field calendula family itself, in Latin it will be like this:
