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When one thinks of a good hearty salad, what springs to mind?...yes, the good old lettuce. Lettuce can easily be grown through the warmer months and with a little extra effort and the correct equipment the growing season can be greatly extended.
In general, lettuce like a good fertile soil but do not be put off if your particular patch is a bit lacking in that department. You can soon dig in some rich manure or compost and work the soil to a fine seed bed.

No expert can tell you which variety to grow as the flavour and texture vary so much. Try different varieties and you will find something that has that perfect crispness and taste which is ideally suited to you.

Summer Lettuce
A good time to plant would be at the onset of spring, having prepared the soil a month or so previously. Sow the seeds very thinly and if you have trouble with this operation, for example dropping too many seeds in one place, not enough in another, try mixing the seed with some fine dry sand in a small tub or container. Take some of the mixture in your hand and feed it gently into the shallow drill (2cm). Make the rows approximately 40 - 45cm apart. Hang On! Do you want two hundred lettuces all ready at the same time? Of course not give some thought to your requirements and sow seed at perhaps fortnightly intervals throughout the summer. When the plants are about 5 6 cm tall thin them so as to create 30cm spaces between the remaining plants. Make good use of the tiny plants you have removed as they transplant very well.

Winter Lettuce
If you require lettuce beyond the summer months, do the following. Plant the seeds as before but DO NOT mix in any fresh manure as this normally dooms your crop to failure as it encourages the disease botrytis to set in. Once planted, the seed must be protected with cloches or glass. If you live in a very cold climate, winter lettuce may be a disappointing venture unless you are lucky enough to have a heated greenhouse in which case "go for it"

Care
Keep the lettuce plants well watered and hoed. Bear in mind the old adage "A hoeing is as good as a shower of rain". Give the lettuce plants a little care and attention and you will be well rewarded for your efforts.

Learn more about this author, Mike Elliott.
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