Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Poor or obviously struggling plants should be removed immediately to prevent
them passing problems on to other plants, as they are seldom worth harvesting.
Lettuce
Varieties:
'Paris Island', 'Rouge d'Hiver', 'Webbs'
Although most people think of lettuce as a summer vegetable, it is quite possible,
given a suitable mix of varieties and a bit of protection, to harvest fresh lettuce
all year round. A crisp and tender salad in the dark days of late January can be
every bit as tasty as in the warmth of summer - and it will be far more appreci-
ated. Winter-hardy outdoor varieties do exist, but suffer from the weather and
the effects of predation much more than tunnel-grown specimens; there really is
no comparison.
Preparation
Lettuce will tolerate some shading and thus can be sown around larger plants
which are due for removal, but if this goes on for too long the seedlings will
become leggy and prone to mildew. If in doubt, sow into modules. What lettuce
will not tolerate is dryness, so if the bed is prone to drying out, fork a good dress-
ing of compost into the top few inches of soil and keep it well watered.
There are four main types of lettuce: loose leaf, butterhead, iceberg (or 'crisp'),
and cos, each providing its own range of flavours and textures. The choice is
largely one of personal taste, but it is worth mentioning that head-forming
lettuces are much more likely to act as 'slug hotels' than more open types.
Butterheads are generally hardiest to use as a crop to eat during the winter,
although cos and loose-leaf types specially bred for winter will do just fine. If you
have a favourite variety that isn't listed as winter-hardy, there's no harm in try-
ing to grow it under fleece; many of them will hang on grimly and recover once
the weather eases, replacing their tatty winter leaves with sweet new growth
around the start of March, although most will bolt soon afterwards. Iceberg vari-
eties are not cold-hardy and are more prone to tip burn (a result of uneven water-
ing in summer) and are thus most suitable for spring and autumn use.
Sowing
Slugs are extremely fond of newly emerged lettuce seedlings, so sow them barely
covered with seedling compost in 4cm modules or small pots (this can even be
