Garden Babies Butterhead

START SEEDS OUTDOORS

In cool spring weather, start seeds in in full sun. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart in fertile, well-drained soil mix. After the seedlings germinate and begin to grow, it's important to thin the young plants so they have room to mature. Thin seedlings when they are 1 to 2 inches tall to a final spacing of about 4 to 5 inches apart. 5 to 7 plants can grow to maturity in a 12 to 15 inch container or 3 plants in an 8-inch pot.

GROWING NOTES

Lettuce thrives in cool conditions with consistent moisture. Be sure to thin properly and keep evenly moist for sweet tasting, full heads. For a constant supply, make several sowings a few weeks apart until summer weather turns hot. Plant again in late summer for fall harvest. In hot weather, give lettuce some afternoon shade to extend harvest season and check water daily. Keep soil evenly moist and feed with liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks. Consider transplanting lettuce seedlings around the edges of a big pot containing a young tomato or pepper plant. The lettuces will be ready to eat just as the bigger plant grows larger and needs the space.

HARVEST AND USE

Savor young thinnings in your first spring salads. Then harvest plants by cutting mature heads when they feel firm and well-filled out. Pull over-mature plants if they begin to elongate (“bolt”) in hot weather, as leaves turn bitter at this stage.