Luscious Lettuce

Whether you're a butterhead, a crisphead or like to Romaine neutral, there's a lettuce for you! Super low calorie and packed with vitamins A and K and minerals like calcium, folate and potassium, these lean leaves are worth a try.

Types of lettuce:

1. Butterheads have loosely packed, soft leaves that have a mild sweet taste with subtle earthy tones. Key varieties that you will see in supermarkets are Boston, Buttercrunch and Red Butterheads. Tom Thumb is a reliable mini variety for small spaces.

2. Cos varieties are taller plants with a darker colour. Either red, purple or dark green such as Romaine, Little Gem, Red Cos and Rouge d'Hiver.

3. Crispheads like Iceberg and French Crisp have thicker, more densely packed leaves with reliable cropping. The varieties you may spot in shops are Crispino and Legacy.

4. Summercrisp lettuces are more heat tolerant and versatile for late spring and early autumn. Good varieties to try are Summertime, Ithaca and legacy for full, dense iceberg heads. Or try Red Iceberg for colour tinged leaves.

5. Salad leaf/loose leaf is a cut and come again type, which will keep producing leaves rather than 1 head. popular types include Lollo Rossa, Mixed Leaf and Oak Leaf. For the summer, try more heat tolerant varieties like Muir and Black Sails.

Lettuces and salad leaves can be grown indoors, outside under cover or directly outside once the weather is warm enough.

What do do

• Sow seeds from February throughout the spring to ensure a good succession. Do the same in early autumn for a second crop.

• Lettuces can be sown where they will grow in neutral soil around 6-7 pH, the same as peppers.

• The plants need at least 5-6 hours of sunlight per day to grow healthily.

• In cooler weather position in a sunny spot or during hotter times, look for a shadier spot as the plants can burn.

• Select a variety that is suitable to your local climate or growing space.

Small space, no worries!

For tiny spaces go for the smaller loose leaf varieties like Lollo Rossa and Loose Leaf.

• Standout small variety: Lollo Rossa is widely available and has a good colour.

Biggest cropper

Bubba and Big Boston are the biggest Icebergs, reaching heights of 50 cm (20 in). Celtice (stem lettuce) is a cross breed, which keeps the looser leaf heads from the ground to avoid slugs and snails. Celtuce reaches a max height of 60 cm (24 in) but is usually harvested earlier for a less tart taste.

• Standout heavy cropper: Celtuce has a nutty and sweet flavour but if left too long can be tart. The plant does well in many climates and offers a unique difference in the growing landscape.

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtuce#/media/File:Celtuce.jpg

Cooler climates

Once the plants are established, some varieties like d'Hiver (Rouge), North Pole and Romaine Winter Density are very cold hardy, being able to survive lows of -15C (15F). Mixed Leaf does well under cover in cold conditions.

Early varieties - Under 25 days: Lambs Lettuce, Mixed Leaf, Oak Leaf

Longer growing required: Romaine, Iceberg, Celtuce, North Pole

Warm season only: Island Cos, Litte Gems, Salad Bowl

• Standout variety: Mixed Leaf is a quick growing, cut and come again variety. It is quite hardy and pairs very well with salads, sandwiches and as a side or garnish.

TIP: Many lettuces will bolt when they overheat. This means the plant believes it is in trouble and goes to seed. To avoid this, try using shady spaces with a little breeze in the warmer months.