Focus on… Summer lettuce
IF you are after an obliging, rewarding crop, then welcome to lettuces. Germination is simple, growth is rapid, and as for the freshly picked taste, it’s unparalleled. If you sow now, lettuce will germinate within a week and be ready for planting in three weeks. For cut-and-come-again (CCA) crops – which refers to harvesting whole young plants with scissors – you can be enjoying harvests just seven-ten days afterwards. Now that’s speedy!
Sow thickly, then cut just above their growing point, and the lettuces will quickly regrow for a second and often third trim. You can obviously let the lettuces mature instead if you like – there are plenty of types to choose from (see my recommendations on page 20). Hardiness varies, but some, such as ‘Clarion’ and ‘Winter Density’, will sit through winter under cloches, allowing you to provide lettuces for your family year-round with regular savvy
