16 July 2019
In pictures: Lettuce season
The queen of salad veg is thriving in the Kitchen Garden, with heritage varieties as well as old favourites bursting to life.
There's more to the humble lettuce than meets the eye.
Centuries old
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a leafy vegetable that belongs the daisy family Asteraceae.
Originating in the Mediterranean, lettuce has been cultivated as an edible crop for centuries. Lettuce leaves were even depicted on the walls of Egyptian tombs.
Originally, lettuce didn't taste very nice. It was a bitter leaf, but slowly this crop has been bred to produce the tender, sweet leaves consumed today.
Different shapes and sizes
Did you know that lettuce isn't always green? Lettuce varies widely in colour, from light green to deep red.
The shape and size of lettuce leaves are also a mixed bag. Some, such as Batavian lettuce have frilly, delicate leaves whereas others such as butterhead lettuce have thick, rounded leaves.
Lettuce is a useful plant for companion planting. This method is when different plants that enhance each other's growth are planted next to each other.
For example, lettuce and beans make a good pair, because beans provide dappled light that lettuce plants like. Beans like to have their roots moist, which lettuce provides by covering the ground and stopping transpiration of water.
Heritage varieties
In the Kitchen Garden, we experiment with growing heritage varieties of fruit and veg. At the moment we're growing 'All the Year Round' lettuce, which is a heritage cultivar from before 1856 and is a very hardy specimen. As well as being quick growing, it's very tolerant to dry weather which is important as British summers get more unpredictable.
Another highlight that we're growing this year is 'Really Red Deer Tongue' lettuce. This is dark red with pointed leaves, and will bring a rich silkiness to your salad bowl.
Head down to the Kitchen Garden to see our beds bursting with a rainbow of goodness.
