How to Grow jalapeno

Let us face it growing lettuce is one of the favorite crops in the garden because it is relatively easy to grow, it grows fast and saves you lots of money compared to buying it in the shops! It is one of the first salad vegetables of the year that can be planted, and so it is one of the first to be harvested in the spring.

It takes well to most soils and you can squeeze it into a small space, also as it has shallow roots it is also suited to growing in containers as well. Planting it.You can plant it as early as 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost as it tolerates temperature changes such as frost very well, although it is not suited to ongoing freezing temperatures, and can run wild bolting in higher temperatures.

So ideally it is suited to growing in the Autumn or Fall seasons. Lettuce can make do with as little as five hours of sunshine per day, and whilst okay in full sunshine is better suited to a shadier area of your plot to stop it bolting, accordingly it is better when picked early rather than late. It will respond well to a small application of fertilizer.

Note whilst it has shallow roots if you are planting in a container then aim for a soil depth of around 6. If you are planting seeds directly in the garden plant them 3/8 to 1/2 inch deep, cover with a fine layer of compost. Whilst the space between rows varies with the variety, ideally they should be thinned to around 8 inches part.

Often the lettuce are started inside and transplanted outside, however this does not apply to all varieties as some must be sown directly in the soil as they do not transplant well. So always read the seed packet. They need light but consistent watering.

Harvest the whole plant when of a suitable size or for a longer harvest use a sharp knife to cut the leaves off when around 4 inches long.

If you found this article of interest and would like to know more then visit the author's site on growing your own vegetables for more great tips and free advice on growing vegetables.
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Cultivars

Lettuce and chicory output in 2005There are six commonly recognised Cultivar Groups of lettuce which are ordered here by head formation and leaf structure; there are hundreds of cultivars of lettuce selected for leaf shape and colour, as well as extended field and shelf life, within each of these Cultivar Groups:

Butterhead (L. sativa var. capitata) forms loose heads. Its leaves have a buttery texture. Butterhead cultivars are most popular in Europe. Popular varieties include Boston, Bibb, Buttercrunch, and Tom Thumb.

Chinese lettuce (L. sativa var. asparagina) types generally have long, sword-shaped, non-head-forming leaves, with a bitter and robust flavour unlike Western types, for use in stir-fried dishes and stews. Chinese lettuce cultivars are divided into “stem-use” types (called celtuce in English), and “leaf-use” types such as youmaicai (Chinese: ???; pinyin: yóumàicài) or shengcai (??/???), respectively.

Crisphead, also called Iceberg, forms tight, dense heads that resemble cabbage. They are generally the mildest of the lettuces, valued more for their crunchy texture than for flavour. Cultivars of iceberg lettuce are the most familiar lettuces in the USA. The name Iceberg refers to the crisp, cold, clean characteristics of the leaves.

Looseleaf (L. sativa var. crispa) has tender, delicate, and mildly flavoured leaves. This group includes oak leaf and lollo rosso lettuces.

Romaine (L. sativa var. romana), also called Cos, grows in a long head of sturdy leaves with a firm rib down the center. Unlike most lettuces, it is tolerant of heat.

Summer Crisp, also called Batavian, forms moderately dense heads with a crunchy texture. This type is intermediate between iceberg and looseleaf types.
Some lettuces (especially iceberg) have been specifically bred to remove the bitterness from their leaves. These lettuces have high water content and so less "nutritionally dense" than are the more bitter lettuces and those with darker leaves. While all lettuces contain antioxidants and Vitamin K, romaine and looseleaf lettuce contain five to six times the Vitamin C and five to ten times the Vitamin A of iceberg. Romaine and butterhead lettuce are good sources of folate.