Mr McGregor: Veg Of The Month!

I have been thinking long and hard about my next ‘Veg of the Month’ and as the summer is here and the barbecues are going, it has to go to the lettuce. They are so easy to grow as well and are ideally suited to be grown in our weather conditions (they love cooler climates and require a lot of rain, but are also perfect for inter cropping in the summer months). There are so many types to choose from as well from cos or romaine to looseleaf, butterhead and my personal favourite arctic king.  With my Veg of the Month I normally give you a recipe at the end, but there are so many salads to create with the lettuce I thought I would leave the creativity to you.

Lettuces are so easy to grow they don’t even mind what soil they are grown in, as long as it is well dug and well drained and are kept out of direct sunlight. A great way of doing this in the summer is inter cropping them, (growing them next to taller plants that need to be harvested later, the taller crop such as peas will provide great shelter).

Tip: Always water well and keep in a cool area to avoid any bolting. 

Dig out shallow drills half inch deep, 30cm apart, sowing three or four seeds every 15cm and to ensure a continuous supply of crops sow every three weeks. Then cover the seeds with soil, gently firming and water well if the soil is dry. I have found that the seedlings should appear in 7 to 14 days time, and when they do, I gradually thin out until each seedling is 25cm apart.

 Tip: I have always found throughout October to January a cloche is needed if you want an autumn to winter supply of lettuce.

When it comes to crops that are easy to grow they normally have a few problems and lettuces are no exception.

Treat Root Aphid by:

•    Pulling up affected plants, but don`t put them in the compost bin.
•    A horticultural fleece draped over your crops will allow water and light through but will protect them at the same time. A great alternative to chemicals.

Treat slugs by:

•    Place barriers around the plants with the use of egg shells or sand, or cover your seedlings with plastic bottles with both ends cut off and pressed into the soil over them.
•    Slug pellets are effective but need to be used sparingly as they can be a danger to wildlife.

Other problems:

Treat Greenfly by using a fleece as an alternative to spraying chemicals at first sighting of the insects. Using a fleece or netting will also minimise any bird problems as well.

Mr McGregor