Success with Lettuces & Leaves

Whilst they are very easy to grow, there is a bit of an art to a nice, long-lasting crop of lettuces and leaves…these are our 3 top tips.

  1. Plant them in a spot that gets a little light shade during the midday sun. This will really help to keep the soil a bit cooler, and help to prevent the plants from bolting.
  2. Protect them from slugs & snails. Lettuces are so delicious to slugs, especially the younger leaves. Be sure to set down slug beer traps and keep your salad beds as slug-free as possible.
  3. Pick outer leaves regularly. The more you pick the outer leaves, the more the plant will keep trying to produce new leaves, rather than running to seed and flowering early. Ideally your plants would stay fairly small, with 5 or 6 leaves, to keep them as productive as possible. If you don’t plan to eat the leaves when you pick them, then either keep them  in the fridge for a few days (unwashed), or give them to neighbours/friends, or pop them on the compost pile.