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Growing lettuce
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Royal Oakleaf lettuces
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This is one of the few vegetables that we can grow almost all year round
in Queensland. For the vegetable gardener there are so many types of lettuce
over and above the supermarket stock variety of Iceberg. Until recently
we'd only grown the odd hearting lettuce. We mostly grow Mignonette lettuces
which are exceptionally tasty. The only problem with them is that they,
like all lettuce in Queensland, tends to "bolt" to seed in our hot humid
summers.
Growing conditions
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The variety of lettuce types makes it easier for home gardeners to
grow lettuce in almost all seasons.
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Lettuce prefers a sunny to partial shade aspect.
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They love an organically enriched, well-drained soil. In well drained
soil lettuces can rarely be over watered.
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Lettuce don't follow the 4 bed rotation
system. It is a great quick "fill-in" crop for spare
spaces. It can be grown in any bed, at any time.
Garden care
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Seeds can be directly sown where they'll grow or into seed raising
mix.
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Here's a hint if you have trouble getting lettuce seeds to germinate.
Pop the seeds into the fridge for a couple of days. Then when they're
sown the seeds "think" winter is over and it's now time
to grow.
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Transplanted lettuce seedlings are usually moved when the leaves
are just short of an inch long.
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Like most transplants, lettuce seedlings should be transplaned either
late in the afternoon on an overcast day.
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Feed them fortnightly with liquid manure.
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Hearting lettuces growing next to a basil seedling
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Harvest time
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Don't leave your lettuces growing too long, especially in summer,
as lettuce goes to bolt becoming very bitter.
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Try to pick your lettuce in the morning when their sugar content
is highest instead of the afternoon.
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Non-hearting varieties can be harvested leaf-by-leaf or whole.
Last Updated
17 November, 2008
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