Head lettuce

Lettuce is an annual and dies after harvest or at the first hard frost. There is nothing to overwinter. If you want to harvest for longer, sow a true winter lettuce variety (e.g. ‘Winterwunder’, ‘Neusiedler Gelber Winter’) from late summer to early autumn; the young plants overwinter small in the bed, and in severe frost you cover them with horticultural fleece or a cold frame and harvest in spring. Otherwise, simply sow again in spring.

You propagate lettuce exclusively by sowing. You can start it indoors from the end of February / beginning of March: place the seeds on moist soil in seed trays and cover them only with a whisper-thin layer (max. 0.5 cm), because lettuce needs light to germinate. It germinates best in cool conditions at around 15 °C; above 18 to 20 °C the seed often refuses to germinate. The seeds germinate in about 6 to 14 days. Plant the young plants out after about 4 to 6 weeks, from March, once there is no longer any hard frost. From April you can also sow directly into the bed and make successive sowings every 2 to 3 weeks until August for a continuous harvest. For your own seed, let 10 or more strong plants bolt (run to flower). Deliberately do NOT choose the plants that bolt first, otherwise you will unintentionally breed lettuces that bolt early. Lettuce is mostly self-pollinating, so cross-breeding between varieties is rare. The small flower heads ripen gradually; as soon as the first feathery seeds start to fly, cut off the stems and leave them to dry further. Stored dry and cool, the seed stays viable for about 3 to 4 years.