| Cover the seeds lightly, firm the soil surface, and kept the soil moist. Stress from lack of nutrients and/or poorly drained soil are the most common causes of bitterness at this time. Grow them in a moist, well drained, fertile soil. Use peat to lighten the soil, but remember to add some lime, as lettuces don't like acid conditions.If you have sown seed direct in the garden, thin the seedlings to about 25cm apart.Young plants often have to be netted against sparrows at this time of year, and slugs and snails are particularly active in spring. The first lettuce should be usable about 1 month and 3 weeks from sowing the seed. Transplanted from a punnet they are ready in about 1 month and 2 weeks. Remember to sow or plant more in late spring for summer use. |
LETTUCES Lactuca sativa Lettuce is basically a cool weather crop, doing best in spring like temperatures (16-18ºC) . Indeed, a properly hardened off transplant will survive -5ºC frosts. Lettuce planted in milder areas do well at this time of year, but the coldest areas will still have to be wary of frost. Lettuce seeds germinate best at relatively low soil temperatures between 15'C and 20'C, but will germinate in soil temperatures as low as 5ºC.