1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

TIME TO PLANT | Lettuce
Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
The year-round essential that’s always infinitely better
straight from the backyard
Words Melissa King
Plant a crop of lettuce every few
weeks and you’ll always have fresh
leafy greens at your fingertips.
Lettuces are quick and easy to grow
and can be planted and picked year round in
many areas. So why not fill decorative pots or
garden beds with lettuces in every leaf colour
and texture?
Choose from loose-leaf lettuces that can
be picked leaf by leaf as you need them or
hearting varieties that form dense heads
of leaves and are harvested in one chop.
The best-known hearting lettuce has to be
‘Iceberg’, which has crisp, succulent green
leaves with a mild flavour that complements
everything from sung choi bao to the good
old Aussie prawn cocktail.
I like to grow the loose-leaf lettuce types,
which can be picked on demand, like the
incredibly beautiful ‘Red Velvet’, with rich,
deep-maroon-coloured leaves that are as
attractive as any flower. Plant it en masse for
real impact or grow it alongside lime-green
Most lettuce varieties
are ready to harvest in
as little as 5–6 weeks if
you are planting them
as seedlings. Hearting
types take a bit longer.
varieties like ‘Royal Oakleaf’ for contrast.
‘Royal Oakleaf’ has a long history, dating back
to 1771 and stands up well to the heat, so it’s
a good choice for growing at this time of year.
‘Gold Rush’ is another lime-green stunner
that’s slow to bolt, so you can pick it for
longer. It has crinkled, almost gold foliage that
lights up the garden and the kitchen. ‘Rouge
d’Hiver’ is another attractive loose-leaf type
with chocolate-red foliage tinged with green
at the base that adds colour and variety to
the salad bowl.
I also enjoy the delicate, light texture of
butter lettuces, like ‘Freckles Bunte’ with
crinkled green foliage that is speckled with
red patches. If you like a bit of frill, try growing
Italian Lollo varieties with ruffled leaves in
shades of green, pink and red.
Growing conditions: Lettuce can be
grown from seed or planted as seedlings.
Plant in a sunny spot with rich, welldrained
soil. If you live in a hot area, give
plants some shade from around lunchtime
onwards, particularly through the warmer
months, and choose heat-tolerant varieties
that are less likely to bolt to seed. Lettuces
are shallow-rooted plants, so keep the
water up and liquid-feed every two weeks
for lots of leafy greens.
Spacing: Sow seed in rows about 30cm apart
and cover with a thin layer of soil, or plant
seedlings 20–35cm apart in rows 30cm apart.
Harvest: Most lettuce varieties are ready to
harvest in as little as 5–6 weeks if you are
planting them as seedlings. Hearting types
take a bit longer. If you are growing loose-leaf
lettuces, simply harvest the outside leaves
as you need them or pick the mature head in
one go. Harvest hearting lettuces all at once
when the head is full and ripe.
Growing tip: If you’re tight on space, try
growing lettuces in sunny pots or look out for
miniature varieties like Baby or Mini Cos, with
a compact habit and sweet, crisp leaves.
‘Iceberg’
Lettuce label
Common name: Lettuce
Botanical name: Lactuca sativa
Family: Asteraceae
Aspect & soil: Sunny position;
rich, well-drained soil
Best climate: All
Habit: Annual
Propagation: Seed, seedling
Difficulty: Easy
Kerry Boyne
38 | Good Organic Gardening