Lettuce

Growing Guide

Probably one of the most regularly eaten vegetables, Lettuce is easy to grow at home. It's much cheaper to grow your own lettuce than buy bags of lettuce from the shops, and the variety of lettuces you can grow versus shop-bought lettuce is greater, too. Lettuces come in a wide variety of shapes, colours and textures. By growing a few varieties you'll have all the ingredients you need for a delicious, colourful salad.

Winter Lettuces

Despite it’s name, if you time your successional sowings just right you can harvest the Winter Density variety of Lettuce all year round. This dwarf, compact lettuce has crisp, succulent, dark green hearts.

Winter Density is a popular variety for autumn sowing; my top tip if you are able to is to sow your final crops in a greenhouse or polytunnel to protect them from the worst of the winter weather. But this isn’t a necessity and September sown plants will stand through winter and be good for harvesting through to the following spring.

Direct sow lettuce seeds outdoors from February to September into well prepared, fertile, moist soil in sun or semi shade. Sow seeds thinly at a depth of 1cm in drills 30cm apart in soil which has been raked to a fine tilth. When large enough to handle, thin out seedlings to 30cm apart and cover with a protective netting or fleece to prevent attack from birds and insects. Sow just a few seeds once a fortnight for a regular supply. Water lettuce frequently and hoe between plants regularly to prevent weeds from establishing.

In extreme hot or dry weather Winter Density may bolt so watering is particularly critical during the 2 weeks before harvesting.

Crispheads

As the name suggests, Crisphead lettuces (including iceberg types) have a crisp texture and leave a mild taste in the mouth. They have a cabbage-like round head that is formed by the overlapping curved leaves. As the leaves are compactly packed the round head formed is also tight and compact.

Direct sow lettuce seeds outdoors from March to August into well prepared, fertile, moist soil in sun or semi shade.

Sow seeds thinly at a depth of 1cm in drills 30cm apart in soil which has been raked to a fine tilth. When large enough to handle, thin out seedlings to 30cm apart and cover with a protective netting or fleece to prevent attack from birds and insects. Make regular sowings for a regular supply throughout the summer and autumn.

Water lettuce frequently and hoe between plants regularly to prevent weeds from establishing.

Crispheads are generally slow to bolt, and perform reliably whether the summer is wet or dry. However, extreme dry weather may still cause heads of lettuce plants to bolt so watering is particularly critical during the 2 weeks before harvesting.

Little Gem

Direct sow lettuce seeds outdoors from March to September into well prepared, fertile, moist soil in sun or semi shade.

Sow seeds thinly at a depth of 1cm in drills 30cm apart in soil which has been raked to a fine tilth. We recommend watering the drill before sowing the seed as lettuce seed is fine and can easily be washed away with a first heavy watering.

When seedlings large enough to handle, thin out to 30cm apart and cover with a protective netting or fleece to prevent attack from birds and insects.

Water well in hot weather to guard against bolting.

Mixed Leaves

Direct sow lettuce seeds outdoors from March to September into well prepared, fertile, moist soil in sun or semi shade.

Sow seeds thinly at a depth of 1cm in drills 30cm apart in soil which has been raked to a fine tilth. We recommend watering the drill before sowing the seed as lettuce seed is fine and can easily be washed away with a first heavy watering.

When seedlings large enough to handle, thin out to 30cm apart and cover with a protective netting or fleece to prevent attack from birds and insects.

Pick the leaves straight from the plants as and when needed and more will grow in their place. Pick leaves by cutting with scissors rather than ripping away from the plant.



Water well in hot weather to guard against bolting.

TOP TIPS

Sow lettuces successively, every 2 to 3 weeks for a long-lasting harvest of fresh salad leaves.