Growing Lettuce - BBC Dig In Campaign

The BBC are campaigning to get everyone growing their own, which has to be good, and have produced this short video guide .

When you start growing your own vegetables it can all seem awfully complicated but honestly it really is quite simple. Personally I would never start beetroot off in a pot, they're so easy to grow straight in the ground. Despite having written 2 books on the subject, if I'm honest, my best advice is to always read the back of the seed packets before you sow!

Of course, the books go into a bit more detail! Vegetable Growing Month by Month and
The Essential Allotment Guide

Key Facts On Growing Lettuce

• Lettuce come in a number of types: Cos, Butterhead, Crisphead and Loose- leaf.
• You can buy packs of mixed varieties of edible leaves and lettuce which are cut and come again. These are great for producing a mixed salad.
• Tom Thumb and Little Gem are ideal for singles and couples as one lettuce is just enough for a salad.
• Harvesting: Pull your lettuce with the root on, use what leaves you want for a meal and then put the roots into a vase of water (like a flower). The lettuce will keep perfectly until you are ready for your next salad.
• Lettuce can be eaten cooked! The French often eat lettuce cooked with peas, delicious. We've got some Lettuce Recipes on the site.
• There's a list of lettuce varieties in the allotment shop. Lettuce and Salad Leaves Seed The best varieties for home growing have the RHS Award of Garden Merit and are listed here: Lettuce with AGM
• Lettuce can easily be grown in containers as well as in the soil.

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