Lettuce
Also called Garden lettuce, Cos, Butterhead.
| Light | part shade |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 2 days in the growing season, every 6 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 25 cm (10 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats not known, dogs not known |
Pet safety not established for this species.
Edible here means commonly eaten. Nothing on this site is medical or dietary advice.
Lettuce is the fastest thing in this journal and the least forgiving of neglect. Sown thinly and kept moist it goes from seed to a cut and come again crop in six weeks, and the same seed left dry for two days in warm weather bolts and turns bitter instead. The whole trick is successional sowing: a short row every fortnight from early spring, rather than one long row that all comes at once and then runs to seed together. Cut and come again varieties, the loose leaf ones, give more over a season than hearting types and suit a container far better. Heat is the enemy in both hemispheres, so plan the summer sowings for a spot with afternoon shade, and use the cool shoulders of the year for the main crops.
Ailments observed
| Flowering at the wrong time, or bolting | Heat, long days, or a plant that dried out. Sow a short row every two weeks, give afternoon shade in summer, and pick the whole plant before it lengthens in the middle. |
|---|---|
| Holes chewed in the leaves | Slugs and snails, which find lettuce before you do. Look under the pot rim and the saucer at night, and stand containers on a dry surface rather than damp paving. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner, Plants for a balcony or a small space
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