Lettuce
Summer is a great time to enjoy home-grown salads, but there is more to knowing how to grow lettuce than you think and treating them casually can generate devastating crop. Lettuces prefer cooler climates, which make them ideally suited to the British weather, plus they like lots of rain.
Ideally, lettuce plants need to be planted in a rich, organic soil that will lock in all the moisture from the regular watering that is required throughout the summer months. However, some varieties may require having lime added to it to top up the pH levels in the soil. When preparing to sow find a lightly shaded site for your summer varieties, dig the soil and make sure a week or so before sowing the soil is raked over and general fertiliser like Miracle Grow Plant food has been applied. A fertiliser is needed because if the lettuce seedlings do not grow quickly enough the leaves become tough and leathery. This can also be helped and encouraged by incorporating organic content into the soil.
Now you know what to look for in your soil, here is a simple guide to get you on your way to self sufficiency.
Lettuce plants hate being moved so always sow them directly into the plot where they will remain and make sure to sow them very thinly. Sow lettuce seeds into drills 13mm (½") deep keeping rows 30cm (12") apart and depending on the variety thin seedlings out to 15cm (6")-30cm (12") apart.
However if you prefer to grow under glass in your kitchen garden or on a window sill for transplanting into your plot, sow a couple of seeds into a peat pot for seeds to germinate, or use a cardboard egg box, which has been filled with peat for a more green approach.
A quick tip for transplanting from a pot or egg box is to remove weak seedlings, harden off and then plant the whole pot or egg box along with the young lettuce seedling directly into the plot, this ensures the roots won`t be disturbed. To ensure a steady supply of lettuce; sow little and often - every two weeks - the amount will depend on you and your family’s needs.
You can also grow other crops by using the egg box method:
Step 1: Fill the flat side with peat, sow your seeds into it and cover them lightly with more peat.
Step 2: Water and shut the egg box by putting the cell part on top.
Step 3: When you see the first signs of germination leave the lid open for the seedlings to grow to their full potential.
If you have been growing in a cold frame, leave the lid of the cold frame open for five days and nights before you plant out your lettuce crops into the plot. However, if you have been growing on a window sill in a heated room, seedlings should be moved to an unheated room and then stood outside for a couple of days before planting out.
After planting out make sure to thin out seedlings when the first leaves appear, doing this will make sure your plot avoids overcrowding, allowing your lettuce crops to grow to their maximum potential. When thinning out make sure to water them a day before and continue thinning out in stages until your lettuce plants are at the required distance recommended for your variety.
To protect your seedlings make sure to:
• Hoe regularly to keep weeds down.
• Remove rubbish from around plants to prevent pests like slugs coming onto your plot.
• Water regularly to keep the soil moist. However, if your seedlings have previously been grown under glass, keep the soil dryer and ventilated to prevent fungus diseases.
Top Tip: Water in the morning or midday. Watering in the evening increases the risk of diseases.
Bear in mind that cool and damp weather encourages two major diseases; Downy Mildew and Grey Mould, which are extremely destructive when active. However, they can be easily treated; Downy Mildew can be combated by simply removing the affected leaves as soon as possible and spraying the lettuce plants with Fruit & Veg Disease Control.
Grey Mould can be avoided by:
• Being careful whilst hoeing.
• Watering in the morning or midday.
• Sow leaving wide spaces between rows, especially in spring and autumn.
• Controlling weeds.
• Minimising crop debris around the beds at time of planting.
• Using of raised beds.
• Using crop rotation methods.
When the lettuce plant has formed the heart it is ready for cutting, however check for firmness by gently pressing down on the top of the heart area with the back of your hand. It is important to lift the lettuce plants immediately as, if left in the ground too long (5-7 days) the heart will start to grow upwards and bolt. Lift the whole plant then cut off the root and lower leaves, which can become a great food source for a compost heap.