While lettuce is a fairly easy crop to care for, it will respond dramatically if you apply fertiliser to the soil by the sides of the plants.
Do this when they reach a height of 5–7cm (2–3in), using a nitrogen-rich compound such as pelleted chicken manure.
The fertiliser should be lightly worked into the soil and followed by a good watering.
Ensure that they receive enough water in dry weather, but never let them become waterlogged. As the autumn progresses the need for watering will reduce.
Broadly speaking there are two types of lettuce – those that form a tight head of leaves and those with loose open growth.
As a rule of thumb, head-forming lettuces are ready to harvest when their hearts are firm. They can be cut at the base, leaving the roots and stem base in place, which can go on to produce a second (smaller) head of leaves.
Loose-leaf lettuce varieties are best harvested gradually, removing a few leaves at a time or cutting them back to 10cm (4in).
They will soon begin to sprout again (earning them the name, 'cut-and-come-again' crops).
As the plants enlarge, it is common practice to harvest every other one as needed, to give those that remain more growing room.
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