Lettuce in neat rows, looks a great sight as well as offering great crops

Growing lettuce is one of the most rewarding vegetables. If you keep the slugs at bay, you will have a rewarding crop, even from a tiny space in the back garden.

In summer, lettuce has a short growing season. It means within a couple of months, you can be cutting leaves for the salad bowl. The loose leaf varieties can be ready for harvest after only 6-8 weeks. If you sow at regular intervals and make use of cloches, you can have a supply of lettuce for a large part of the year.

Tips for Growing Lettuce

• Sow directly into the ground and thin out later. Lettuce doesn’t like being moved. If you have to sow in greenhouse, use modules for easy transfer.
• Lettuce like a humous rich soil, so make sure soil is well prepared, otherwise, the leaves will be tougher and more leathery.
• Lettuce needs to be well watered. This is essential for optimal growing.
• Lettuce would ideally be shaded from full summer sun. A lightly shaded area will be ideal. If it is hot, make sure they are well watered.
• Keep a check on greenfly and slugs, as they can decimate a crop.
• Lettuce can be sown in between slower growing vegetables to provide a catch crop.
• Some loose leaf varieties can have leaves harvested when you need them, the plant will keep growing and provide leaves over a long time period.
• Be ruthless in thinning out, don’t try to squash too many in an area.
• Sow at intervals of two weeks to provide a longer cropping season.
• For early season lettuce you can use cloches or cold frame and harden them off protecting from frosts and any cold spells.

Tips for Growing Lettuce