Before I discuss lettuce I would like to thank everyone who came to the talks at Betchworth Centre last Thursday and Nags Hall on Friday evening.
These were the first evening talks at the centres, with optional meals freshly cooked in the restaurant. It was great to meet you all and it was a lovely, relaxed evening. It was such a success that we intend to repeat it later in the year so be sure to keep in touch. I will be back in the autumn but other events are being planned.
Right, onto lettuce. Despite the fact that a salad can be made from a wide range of leaves and even flowers, for most of us it starts with a lettuce! I usually fall into that group, though it depends on what leaves I have in the garden. ‘Crisphead’ lettuce – the now ubiquitous ‘Iceberg’ type – are always available to buy. You can grow these but there is so much more to lettuce.
Crispheads are often large plants but form a dense, heavy head of crunchy leaves
Butterheads form loose, soft heads of creamy green leaves
Cos lettuce are the tall, crunchy types that are what you need for a Caesar salad
‘Little Gem’ or ‘Sweetheart‘ lettuce are like mini-cos and probably the best to try in raised beds. They are compact and, being small, you don’t end up with half a lettuce going brown in the fridge.
Looseleaf lettuce do not form a ‘head’ and the leaves are picked as you need them. This is the most diverse group with masses of leaf shapes and colours. If you have to grow your lettuce in a patio pot then these are the ones for you because you don’t harvest the whole plant and a pot will crop for several months.
Because all of a batch of heading lettuce will mature at roughly the same time it is important to only sow a few every month or so. Or you can buy a pack of seedlings. Or you can sow a mixture of lettuce which will include different types that mature at different times.
Lettuce are usually not damaged by light frosts and they prefer cool growing conditions. For this reason they are ideal as one of the first crops to start in spring. In fact, lettuce seeds can germinate poorly when temperatures are above 21c (70c). So make a start now.
You can sow lettuce direct in rows in the soil but it is a little early for that – I would wait till late March. But you can sow the seeds now in a cool greenhouse or on the windowsill. Fill the pots or trays, water well, sow the seeds thinly and lightly cover with perlite or vermiculite. This keeps the seeds covered but allow light to reach the seeds. Cover with a transparent lid and keep them cool. When the seedlings appear and as the first true leaves emerge from between the two seed leaves (see pic above), carefully transplant the seedings into cell trays or small pots and grow on. Multipurpose compost is suitable for sowing and growing on.
When the seedlings are established and have four or five true leaves they can be planted out. You can grow them in a pot, growing bag or in the ground. Keep them moist at all times.
If you want to grow salad leaves to pick a little at a time you can sow the seeds directly in growing bags to grow a crop like bags of baby leaves.
There are a few problems you may experience with lettuce. The most common is slugs and snails. You will have your favourite way to protect your plants but I use slug pellets. It is vital that you protect your seedlings immediately you plant them out or they will disappear in hours! Apart from the danger of losing the plants completely I hate to prepare a lettuce and find it full of slugs! Put a few pellets around the plants every week to keep the slugs away and do not fling them over the plants – you don’t want to find them in the lettuce, though they are not poisonous as such.
It is not difficult to grow your own lettuce. You just need to decide which to grow. My tip would be a mixed packet but if, like me, you dislike ‘Butterhead’ lettuce you will want to pick a single variety. ‘Lollo Rosso’ is always popular because of the frilly red leaves. I grow many each year but the one I grow all the time is ‘Little Gem’ and its substitutes like ‘Sweetheart’ and the red-leaved ‘Intred’ and ‘Acherito’. They mature quickly, take up little space and one head is perfect for a meal for two.
If you can’t grow your own from seed you can buy seedlings in packs. These are a great alternative to raising your own seedlings but you will be restricted as to variety.
Other reminders
The gardening season is about to get busy! If the weather is mild you can prune your roses and, if it is dry you can mow the lawn. Set the blades to the maximum height for the first cut.
There may be lots of weeds in the garden and you can start to tackle them. It is just about time to use a weedkiller if you wish to.
It is time to start planting dahlias in pots under glass.
If the weather is mild you can prune your hydrangeas, but only prune lightly or you will not get flowers this summer.