The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog!

Over the last few weeks I’ve been growing Lettuce Tom Thumb, and now they’ve reached the stage where they’re big enough to be planted out.  They’re about the size of a tennis ball, which generally speaking is a good indicator of when they need to be planted out.

Lettuce is a half-hardy vegetable, which means that they can be grown in early spring, and planted outside after all the frost has passed. Lettuce is a food staple that you can grow all summer long in small quantities.

Planting out any vegetable is more or less consists of the same method, dig a pot sized hole and make sure the roots are well covered – in this particular bed, I’ve piled on a layer of sifted soil so that root stocks can be established easily improve the plants access to water.

Things to remember when planting tom thumb lettuce

• If you can, harden off plants for around a week before planting outside.
• Leaf lettuce: Plant 4 inches apart.
• Water thoroughly when you plant them into the ground.
• I’ve planted my lettuce near some chives and mint to help keep black fly and white fly at bay.

Looking at your lettuce

• Make sure soil remains moist but is well-drained.
• Add mulch from the compost bin to help retain moisture, keep weeds down, and lower soil temperatures.
• If you see your lettuce wilting, cover them with water and slow down the transpiration rate.
• When you’re weeding, be careful of the roots as they’re shallow.

Harvesting your lettuce

• Lettuce can be harvested any time, so when you see that they’re big enough for what you need, pick them from the ground.
• If you pick lettuce and it’s bitter, it means it has matured or may have gone to flower.
• As time passes, you will want to cut the whole plant from the ground.
• Pick lettuce in the morning before they get exposed to sun.
• Keep lettuce in the fridge for up to ten days in a bag to help maintain it’s quality.