Lettuce Growing Tips

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Lettuce Growing.

In this issue I'm showing you some secrets about getting the best out of your Lettuce plants.
Before we go into that I have something really cool lined up for you - I'm creating a membership site for all my customers and subscribers.

This will be the 'Lettuce Success Club'.

The good news is that I'm not going to charge you a dime for it - yes it will be totally free.
So each month you will get a content packed issue of the Lettuce Success newsletter PLUS more great stuff in your totally freemembership site!

Stay tuned; I'll be giving you more detailssoon, but for now back to this month’s newsletter:
The Art of Growing Lettuce.

Lettuce. As a salad plant this is the most valuable of all, and well deserves the best attention of gardeners. There are two distinctive types of Lettuce, the Cos and the Cabbage. The Cos types assumes an upright and more or less conical form, the leaves being of oval shape. The Cabbage Lettuce forms a low spreading head with rounded leaves, very much like Cabbage in miniature. The Cabbage Lettuce is hardier than the Cos, and is, therefore, more grown for winter and early spring supply. The Cos lettuce is, however, of better flavour. Both prefer a deep well tilled and composted soil. Lettuce is a deep rooted plant; therefore most of the compost should be buried a foot deep when preparing and digging the land. Towards the end of December a few seeds should be sown in clean seed trays and placed into a warm greenhouse near the glass. The seedlings are transplanted 3 inches (7.5cm) apart in other boxes and placed in a light and airy position in the greenhouse. If the grower does not have a greenhouse the seeds can be sown into seed tray and placed onto a light south facing window sill. When the plants have reached a height of about 3 inches (7.5cm) the young plants should be placed into a coldframe, if a coldframe is nor available remove the trays to a windowsill which is not quite so warm. We will be giving instructions on how to make your own cold frame in our next blog.
Planting out is done early in April in a warm corner of the garden. An excellent plan is to have cloches placed over them. These protect the young plants at night and encourage free growth and early maturity. The plants must be protected from slugs and also from birds. Plant in rows 1 foot apart (30cm) each way. A little seed of Tom Thumb (this is a very compact plant, and is very popular with the early retail plant trade) should be sown at the same time and treated in the same way. It will be ready two weeks before the Cos. Plant 7 inches (17.5cm) apart. A sowing of both kinds should take place in warmth at the end of February. The best variety of Cabbage Lettuce to sow (except for the first early crop) is Saladin this variety is a standard crisp headed large and dark green, fairly dense, highly recommended.
First outdoor sowing:- there is nothing gained by sowing Lettuce out of doors before the last week in March, and then a warm, sheltered position and light, well dug soil should be chosen. Seed may be sown in drills, for the best results, drills are easier managed and the seedlings have the same appearance as each other. The drills should be about 1inch (2.5cm) deep, and the rows 9 inches (23cm) apart. Always buy the best seed. During July and August it is not easy to maintain an unbroken supply of Cos Lettuce. Therefore the grower should be prepared with a few plants of the Cabbage type to fill gaps.
During the summer hoe and clean the beds frequently, and in hot weather water every day, a liquid feed should be used every other watering at half or quarter strength.
To maintain an unbroken supply of Cos Lettuce through the summer and autumn and into the winter, sow a few seeds every week during the summer until the middle of August. From this sowing a larger planting than usual should be made, because in late autumn many of the plants may be lifted from the ground and planted fairly close together in cold frames, and then may be enjoyed until late December. To extend the supply of Cos Lettuce still further, seeds should be sown towards the middle of September, the seedlings should be planted in a coldframe. These will give a supply well into the New Year if looked after in the way of giving plenty of air when the weather is favourable and protecting from hard frost by covering the frames with frame covers. The last sowing is made the first week in October in boxes in a frame. Later the seedlings are planted in the frames 3 inches (8cms) apart; they remain dormant during winter. In spring, as soon as they begin to grow, the plants are thinned out to 7 inches (17.5cm) apart. Those thinned out are planted in the garden, and those left in the frame are encouraged to grow providing an early supply. This supply will be closely followed by those sown in the warmth at the end of January. I have treated chiefly of the Cos Lettuce, but the same treatment in every respect should be observed in growing the Cabbage and Iceberg Lettuce, excepting that in spring the earlier varieties may be planted 9 inches (23cm) apart, leaving 7 inches (17.5cm) between plant and plant in rows. Later varieties for summer are planted in rows 1 foot (30cm) apart, the same distance separating plant from plant in the rows.
We hope you have enjoyed this months Blog.
Next month we will be looking at growing Lettuce from seed.
How to capture and save seed from your own plants.
In the months to come we will be looking at all the best Lettuce varieties there are on the market.
Best Iceberg Lettuce, Lettuce recipes, curly leaf Lettuce, Coloured Leaf Lettuce, how to keep your Lettuce fresh, how many Calories are in Lettuce, stuffing Lettuce leaves, Lettuce leaf wrap recipes, hydroponic Lettuce growing, spouting Lettuce seeds, Lettuce soup, the history of the humble Lettuce and much more.

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