Lettuce (Lettuce)

Lactuca sativa var. crispa

Plant family

Daisy family (Asteraceae)

Season Overview

Propagating

Planting

Harvest

Details

Light requirement

Semi-shaded

Water requirement

Wet

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

Medium

Light germinator

Seeding distance

25 cm

Row spacing

25 cm

Seeding depth

0 cm

Instructions

The season for this plant is over. The following instructions are for the next season.

End of January

Propagating

End of January

Transplanting

Beginning of February

Harden

Description

Lettuce is an umbrella term for many leafy vegetables. Head lettuces - as the name suggests - form a head and are harvested in one piece. Picking lettuce can be harvested continuously by picking off individual leaves at a time.

Origin:

Garden lettuces are cultivated lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa) with origins in Southern Europe, North Africa and India. They include lettuce (Batavia, iceberg lettuce), cut/pluck lettuce (Lollo Rosso/Bionda, oak leaf) and romaine lettuce.

Growing tips

Lettuces are very suitable as 'gap fillers'. They require sufficient moisture and have comparatively low nutrient requirements. With a clever selection, lettuces can be grown all year round: in spring and early summer head lettuces and cut/pluck lettuces; in summer and autumn chicory lettuces and iceberg lettuces as well as lamb's lettuce (especially in autumn, winter). For a continuous harvest, it is best to sow or plant at intervals. Species and varieties must be adapted to the season, e.g. spring varieties start to shoot when it is too hot. In this case, a long stalk is formed and the leaves become bitter. After a few weeks, small flowers appear at the top, from which many crescent-shaped seeds are formed. These can be collected for the following year or spread themselves around the bed if you leave them.