LETTUCE SMARAGDUS

An early butterhead variety with dense 150-200g yellow green heads with tender, lightly blistered leaves and a fresh, juicy flavour. It’s an easy, all year round performer, thriving in early open ground conditions and cool, unheated tunnels, and offers strong bolting tolerance for reliable results in changeable weather.

There are so many types of lettuce to choose from, varying in size, colour, flavour and texture. Loose-leaf lettuce is open leaved, while heart forming lettuce has a dense crisp centre. Lettuce seed does not germinate well in high temperatures so keep summer sowings shaded and very well watered.

By choosing the right varieties, and sowing little and often, its possible to enjoy home-grown lettuce almost all year round.

Depending on the variety chosen, lettuce seed can generally be sown from February onwards with a cloche for protection, or from March onwards directly outdoors Germination normally takes 14-21 days.

Indoors sown lettuce seed can be propagated in pots or trays and outdoor sown seed planted in drills when the soil is warm enough.

Indoor raised plants can be moved or transplanted into the garden from March or April, ideally they should be offered a little protection from a cloche or cold frame at first, and spaced 4 to 6 inches apart.

Thinning of the lettuce seedlings can begin as soon as the first true leaves appear and should continue until the plants are spaced 30cm (12in) apart. The seedlings can be washed and eaten.

Protect young lettuce from hungry birds with fleece or chicken wire. Slugs can also be a problem around young seedlings. There are many eco-friendly ways to control slugs and snails, including beer traps, sawdust or eggshell barriers and copper tape. Traditional slug pellets can be harmful to pets, wildlife and young children if ingested.

To maximize salad leaf production, plant lettuce in raised beds. Raised beds warm up faster than the surrounding ground, so you should be able to get an earlier start in the spring and a later crop in the autumn.

To make the most of limited garden space, plant lettuce around taller plants like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and peppers. The lettuce helps its neighbor by keeping the surrounding soil moist and cool and keeping weeds shaded out. As the taller plants grow, they in turn provide necessary shade for the lettuce during the warmer days of summer. Many varieties of lettuce are also welcome additions to ornamental beds.

The key to successful lettuce production is supplying moderate but almost constant water, especially during hot weather. Unless there is regular rainfall, lettuce must be watered deeply at least once a week—more frequently during periods of drought.