How to grow lettuce

Asteraceae, easy to grow

Fast, cut-and-come-again leaves. Sow little and often.

Growing lettuce for the first time

Difficulty: Easy · Sun: part shade · Ready in: about 50 days

Pick a spot with some sun and some shade. It does best in loam, silt soil with a pH of 6.0–7.0. Avoid sandy soil, or improve it with compost.

Sow outdoors in Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug. Start indoors or under cover in Feb, Mar. Space plants about 25 cm apart.

Water roughly every 2 days, more in hot or dry weather. Water the soil, not the leaves.
No regular feeding needed in good soil — a mulch of compost is enough.
Keep weeds down, and add a daily note and photo to your BeAgric grow diary so you can spot problems early.

Common problems: Slugs, Downy mildew. Take a photo with Check a plant if leaves look spotted, yellow or wilted.

Sow every 3 weeks for a steady supply. Shade in hot weather to stop bolting.

Expect your first harvest about 50 days after planting. Record it in Harvests and list any spare on the marketplace.

Sow every 3 weeks for a steady supply. Shade in hot weather to stop bolting.