Lettuces in November

I’ve been really pleased with my lettuces this Spring.  I grow lettuces all year round but they seem to grow quickest in spring.

I sow loose leaf lettuce seed on a monthly basis.  I sow it in seed trays then pot the seedlings up into herb pots.  I plant them out into gaps in my beds when the plants are reasonably mature.  Doing it this way means that they only occupy space in the beds for a couple of weeks before I can start to harvest leaves from them.

On average a lettuce plant seems to last for a couple of months before bolting.  It depends a bit on season and position in the garden but I find if I plan on a two month productive life span I have a cosntant supply of leaves.

In my garden at the moment are:

• Salad Bowl – both red and green.
• Oakleaf
• Freckles
• Cos

and quite a few unidentified plants that are either from unlabelled saved seed or lettuce seed mixes.

I have to say I am a big fan of growing lettuces and they are certainly pretty in the garden.  I just wish the kids were as big a fan of them as I am.  Shame the plants that I find easiest to be self sufficient in are also the ones they are least inclined to eat…