Lettuce

Lettuce seeds require no prior treatment. If you sow a few lettuce seeds every 3 weeks you will always have fresh lettuce to hand. This seed tape is ready to use. How to Sow Sow directly into the ground, preferably in full sun, from April to September. Loosen the soil to at least 30 cm deep. Prepare a straight groove along the bed, about 1cm deep. Stake each end and tie string from one end to the other. Place the tape along the groove, cutting off at the correct length. Cover the seed with 0.5 cm of soil, press down lightly and sprinkle with water. Remove the string and label the row. Extra rows should be 20 cm apart. Seeds germinate in 7-10 days

Water more frequently in dry spells. Keeping the plot weed free will help the lettuce grow better.Try to prevent lettuce from bolting - the lettuce produces a stalk which eventually forms flowers which then turn to seed. This happens more often in the summer and may vary per lettuce variety. Bolted lettuce is still edible but tastes bitter. Try to harvest before this happens. Harvesting Butterhead lettuce can be harvested in 2 ways: 1. Use a knife and just cut the lettuce off at ground level.2. Use a garden fork and flip the heads up, root and all.

A wide selection of lettuce varieties is available nowadays. Some are suitable for an early harvest, others for summer cropping and some for in the autumn. There are also varieties that can be grown all year round so always try to choose the right type of lettuce to suit your needs. The varieties are split for spring, summer and autumn according to their propensity to 'bolt'. If for instance you were to sow an early variety in the summer, it would be more than likely to bolt immediately. Not what you want! So choose the correct variety per season! With a cold frame, you can extend your harvesting season by almost 2 months. This lettuce is of the Asteraceae family in the genus Lactuca sativa.