Baby Leaf Mix 'Classic Lettuce Mix', Organic

This classic mix of lettuce varieties can be used for both baby leaf or for growing to maturity. They can be grown all year round, for a continuous supply of tasty and nutritious baby leaves. They can be harvested when small, just three weeks after planting, or used as an main crop lettuce. To grow to maturity takes just 45 days. Space around 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in).
Each of the varieties are cut-and-come-again types, that is, if you pick the outer leaves, the plants will continue to grow. They hold well in warmer temperatures without bolting so there is a long window of opportunity for harvesting. Plant a few rows every two weeks for a continuous supply.

Lettuce can be grown in the home, on windowsills or raised in pots in glasshouses or polytunnels in cooler areas for winter early spring crops. Given the right conditions, these types of lettuce will successfully grow year round. In autumn through to spring they can be grown in a cold frame or low tunnel. Protected this way, adolescent plants can survive when outdoor temperatures dip to -12°C (10°F).

Often simply refereed to as Mesclun, this is one of a series of blends which provide a wide variety of colourful and tasty salads. Each of the mixes can be grown all year round, for a continuous supply of tasty and nutritious baby leaves. They can be grown in the home, on windowsills or raised in pots in glasshouses or polytunnels in cooler areas for winter early spring crops. The time from sowing to harvest can be as little as 28 days, harvesting when the leaves are between 12 and 15cm tall (5 to 6in) and although re-growth can be harvested, it is better to sow little and often for continuity.

This Classic Lettuce Mix contains:

• Lettuce 'Red Salad Bowl' - an award winning, fast growing loose leaf variety that produces large, slow bolting, rosette shaped, non-heading plants with sweet, succulent, burgundy-red, deep cut leaves.

• Lettuce 'Suzan' - a traditional green butterhead that is a grower’s favourite. Very reliable and very easy to grow, the heads are tightly packed, and the hearts are fleshy and tasty.

• Lettuce 'Marvel of Four Seasons' - as tasty as it is beautiful, this French butter-head lettuce is famous for both its signature butter-head shape and the array of beautiful coloured leaves. Bronze, gold, red and green leaves encompass tightly folded green hearts.

• Lettuce 'Little Leprechaun' - a compact variety of Cos lettuce that has a very nice appearance and is very easy to grow. The high standing green leaves that are tinged with red, have a soft buttery texture. They form crisp, tightly filled sweet hearts that are densely packed with flavour. Try it, you are bound to be delighted!

• Organic Seed.
  This seed has been organically produced. The seed has been harvested from plants that have themselves been grown to recognised organic standards, without the use of chemicals. No treatments have been used, either before or after harvest and the seed is supplied in its natural state. It has been certified and is labelled with the Organic symbol.

For the best lettuce...
Never sow a whole row at once, a small row about 60cm (2ft) long is adequate for most households. For a continuous crop, sow short rows every two weeks.

Prepare the site:
Lettuce can grow from seed to salad in about one month in many regions, and only a little longer in others.
The key to tender and tasty lettuce is rapid growth, however lettuce has a relatively shallow and compact root system that doesn't absorb nutrients and moisture from the soil very efficiently, which can slow the growth. So to encourage fast growth, add plenty of finished compost before planting and again as a side-dressing a week or so after seedlings appear or transplants are planted. Give supplemental feedings of compost tea every few weeks until harvest.

Sowing:
Sow indoors: Anytime of year for babyleaf and four weeks before transplanting outside.
Sow outdoors: When soil can be worked in the spring
Spacing in beds : Leaf lettuce for continuous harvest: 1.3cm (½in) in bands.

Sow at a seed depth of 6 to 12mm (¼ to ½in) Seed will germinate in 7 to14 days.
The perfect temperature for germination is 4 to 16°C (40 to 60°F) germination rates decline above 20°C (68°F)
Sow seeds in short rows about 30cm (12in) apart. To do this, make a shallow trench with a cane about 1.5cm (½in) deep. Tip a small amount of seed into your hand, take a pinch and spread thinly along the trench. Cover with soil, label and water. If birds are a problem in your garden, spread netting to prevent them eating the seed.
When the seedlings are about 2cm (1in) tall, thin them out to give them space to grow, 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in)

Cultivation:
Keep soil just moist. This is particularly important when the lettuces are one or two weeks away from harvesting, as dry soil now will cause the plants to put their energy into producing flowers.

Harvesting:
Harvest as soon as they are big enough for the salad bowl. The harvest is over when a central stem starts to form. This is the signal that the plant is getting ready to bolt, then the leaves will be bitter.

Rotation considerations:
Avoid following radicchio, endive, escarole or artichoke.

Good Companions:
Everything, but especially carrot, garlic, onion, and radish.

Bad Companions:
None

Lettuce Types:
There are many types of lettuce and many varieties within the basic types. These described below are only some of the more common types

• Crisphead
  Also known as the Iceberg lettuce, this is a very popular lettuce worldwide. It has a white, crisp densely packed heart. It should be light green and have a springy firm feel. A great lettuce if you plan to use the whole lettuce all at once. The leaves soon lose their crispness in the fridge.
• Butterhead
  A delicious lettuce with a tender buttery taste. It has an open loose leaf head and compact, crisp hearts. This popular lettuce is no 'supermarket' variety, but rather a proper lettuce with an exquisite flavour unavailable from anywhere but from your own vegetable patch.
• Cos
  This hardy lettuce, originating from the Mediterranean island of Cos, also known as Romaine lettuce, has tall light green leaves with pointed tips, slightly savoyed leaves and a pronounced ribbed structure. The cos lettuce should have a lovely crunchy texture and a light sweet flavour. It is the lettuce of choice for Caesar salads.
• Loose Leaf
  Also known as 'leaf' or 'Continental' lettuce, these lettuces do not form heads, rather a mass of loose leafs which can be picked individually as required. They are represented by a great variety of leaves, thick leaves, thin leaves, flat or curled, red or green. The foliage of the leaf lettuce can be an attractive addition to the vegetable garden and the flavour very pleasant.