How To grow Winter Lettuce
There are two ways of growing Lettuce during autumn and winter, and to get a decent crop. The first is a late sowing of lettuce, which is gradually protected as the cold weather materialises. You can also grow lettuces specifically sold as winter lettuce. I have used both these methods which work well and the images are of my veg plot during late autumn and winter.
Late sowings of Lettuce
Although we eat fewer salads in winter, it is nice to pick fresh leaves, and perfectly possible to grow lettuce throughout the autumn and winter with little effort.
Lettuce grown during autumn and winter falls into two types. Late summer sown lettuce and rocket planted out late in the veg plot, which will withstand light frosts which may occur during October and November. Lettuce is hardier than it appears, and late sown summer lettuces will survive cold and light frosts without protection, which means it will crop throughout autumn. This is not strictly "winter lettuce" but lettuce sown late in the growing season.
I took the image in October. There is rocket and lettuce outside the cloche, and inside. I seeded it in late summer, and it germinated before temperatures dropped. I recommend picking the lettuces outside the cloche first, leaving those under the cloche for consumption in late autumn and early winter.
In autumn, grow the 'cut and crop' again type rocket in a container; then overwinter it, covering or moving it to shelter if poor weather threatens. In common with Lettuce, Rocket will also tolerate light frosts and spells of cold down to around -5degrees.
A cold winter's night can be off-putting for a trip to the veg plot to pick lettuce. You can plant lettuce in a container near the kitchen door to avoid a trip outside in the cold and wet.
When to Germinate and plant Winter Lettuce
There are varieties of lettuce sold as "winter" lettuce, which is particularly cold hardy and able to grow in lower light conditions.
Sow Winter lettuce or plant out small plants directly into the veg plot in Autumn from August until around November, depending on the conditions. Alternatively, raise in seed trays and transplant in late autumn. When planting out, the small plants have to be sufficiently mature to withstand the cold weather, which is why they need to be germinated in late summer/early autumn.
Plant should be around 20-25cms apart depending on the variety (size) of lettuce.
Plant Winter lettuce in a sheltered sunny area with good drainage, so the plants are not waterlogged. From August to November, sow winter lettuce in shallow rows every two weeks for a continuous harvest. If cold weather is forecast, protect the small plants using cloches. You can grow winter lettuces throughout the winter, and you can start sowing again in February under cover.
If you have a poly tunnel, or greenhouse and are in a sheltered spot, you can sow winter lettuces continuously, taking advantage of mild spells over the winter.
When planting a late crop of lettuce, or winter lettuce, whether from seed or as small plug plants, covering with a cloche will help raise the temperature as autumn sets in and produce stronger plants.
Growing Winter Lettuces
As the more serious cold kicks in, it is better to grow only varieties of lettuce suitable for winter, and even so, they will need some winter protection. Looking at the images above, there are two types of lettuce. In the background, the tall lettuce at the far end of the cloche is the summer sown lettuce and in the foreground are the newer varieties of winter lettuce.
Winter lettuces are tough, but not indestructible. Varieties sold as winter lettuce illustrated here are Winter Purslane, Corn Salad, Land Cress and Winter lettuces ' Density' and ' Winter King'
Once established, take the cloche off in milder days to allow air circulation, to prevent the soil from getting mould, and to allow modest watering.
At the back of the image is a light red leaved lettuce, which is the same lettuce as illustrated above centre pictured in late summer as a large seedling. I planted it out in the veg plot in the late summer and cropped for several months, with protection, providing a continuous supply of lettuce.
The demarkation line between winter and summer lettuce is a bit blurred. Your garden's aspect and the protection you provide the crop may well determine how long you can grow summer lettuce.
Given that lettuce is expensive in the shops, especially over winter, this makes it an easy to grow economical crop. We are also being asked more and more to consider the potential greenhouse effect when selecting food, and no air miles is always good.
Suggested varieties of Winter Lettuce to Grow
Illustrated above are Winter Purslane, Lambs lettuce, Corn Salad, Land Cress and Winter lettuces ' Density' and ' Winter King' which are traditional varieties of winter lettuce. Also suitable for growing over winter are Oriental greens such as Mizuna, Mustard Greens, together with Endive, and Salad Burnet.