Lettuce is a widely popular plant among gardeners due to its versatility, rapid growth, and lush green leaves. It can be used to make fresh, flavorful salads or as an addition to sandwiches, burgers, and various other dishes. Instead of purchasing bags of lettuce from supermarkets, many gardeners prefer to grow their own.
However, if you have noticed that your lettuces only survive one harvest and you want them to last longer, a gardening expert has some valuable advice. Nicole Johnsey Burke, known to her over 477,000 TikTok followers as @gardenary, has revealed the key to long-lasting lettuce plants lies in the harvesting method. She warns against cutting the entire plant at the base, as this prevents further growth. Instead, she advises starting with the outer and lower leaves, harvesting a few from each plant. This allows the lettuce to continue growing from the center, resulting in multiple harvests from each plant. Burke claims that by following this method, you can achieve three to four times more harvests from each plant.
In addition to proper harvesting techniques, Burke also suggests planting lettuce next to oregano, chives, and flowers to promote healthy and vibrant growth.
According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), lettuces are best sown in small batches regularly to ensure a continuous supply and avoid overproduction. While lettuces are relatively easy to grow, they need protection from slugs and snails. Hot and dry weather can trigger premature flowering, causing the leaves to turn bitter. To prevent this, the RHS recommends keeping lettuces well-watered and lightly shaded during summer months. Regular re-sowing is also advised to always have replacements on hand.
Lettuce seeds can be sown both indoors and outdoors, in containers or directly in the ground, making them a versatile choice for gardeners of all types. Their compact size also makes them ideal for filling in spare space on plots.
For summer or autumn harvests, sow the seeds outdoors from late March to late July. For winter harvests, sow outdoors in early August and cover the plants with cloches from late September onwards. For spring harvests, sow a winter variety in September or October, either in a greenhouse or under cloches in mild areas, as recommended by the RHS.
Lettuce seedlings require regular watering in warm, dry weather to keep the soil consistently moist and prevent bolting, which would ruin the crop. The ideal time to water the plants is early in the morning, as this prepares them for the day ahead. Watering in the evening can attract slugs and snails and make the lettuces susceptible to fungal diseases like grey mould.
