Lettuce Plants

Organic lettuce plants - a quick guide

Lettuces are easy to grow and quick to mature, making them an excellent first crop for novice gardeners. If you’d like to know more about growing organic lettuces from plug plants, here’s a quick guide to get you started.

When to plant lettuce plugs

It’s best to get your lettuce plug plants into the ground as soon as possible once you receive them. In terms of the best time of year to plant lettuces, you can plant them all year around, with some wonderfully hardy winter varieties like ‘Winter Density’ ready to grow right through the colder months. Just look through our catalogue, choose the varieties that most appeal, and get cracking. Lettuces are a great leafy veg for both summer and winter salads.

How to plant lettuce seedlings in pots

Lettuce seedlings are big enough to transplant when they are large enough to handle comfortably. Simply prick them out of the seed tray and, picking them up by the leaves, replant them in pots filled with general-purpose compost, leaving 10-20 cm between seedlings to allow adequate space to grow and water in. Make sure you use up any spare seedlings – they make an excellent garnish, or just add them to your salad.

How to care for organic lettuce plants

Keep your lettuces watered, especially during hot, dry spells, and to help prevent bolting – running to seed – try applying a moisture-retaining mulch around the base of your plants. Slugs and snails love the taste of lettuce and will make short work of your crop unless you protect it. Good pest deterrents include sprinkling sharp grit or crushed eggshells in the vicinity of your plants, using copper-impregnated matting, or scattering wildlife-friendly organic slug pellets.