The retriever of all retrievers, butterhead is an easy-to-please, pleasure-to-grow type of lettuce. It’s soft, delicate, almost buttery foliage is something that can bulk up a green salad without a confronting taste, and at a moment’s notice.
Butterhead lettuce is our leafy green of choice when needing a fast and easy to grow crop in between season proper plantings. Woof.
PLANTING
Sow seeds directly to the patch if conditions are mild/warm, otherwise propagate in a seed tray and then transplant to the patch when seedlings are 4 weeks old. Make sure to keep watering up to both seeds and seedlings – always in the morning – as young leafy greens are delicate to both the sun and snails/slugs.
WATERING
In ground: Water daily for the first 4 weeks and 3-4 times a week in the absence of rainfall thereafter. More frequent watering may be required during the warmer times of the year.
In Pots: Water daily while establishing and for the entirety of the warm season, otherwise every second day – after they are 4 weeks old – if growing during the cooler times of the year.
MAINTENANCE
Add compost to the patch and plant seeds directly into the soil.
All leafy greens will appreciate a fortnightly application of liquid seaweed solution.
Thin seedlings out after 8 weeks so that remaining plants have the room to mature and then mulch to a depth of 3–5cm using pea straw, lucerne hay or sugar cane mulch. Lettuce are sweet and desired by a number of night-time critters, including snails and slugs, so set up adequate defences.
Leaf-by-leaf harvesting is encouraged for a perpetual harvest. Take more mature outer leaves and work your way in, leaving enough foliage on each plant to properly reproduce. Continue in the same fashion until the plant bolts to seed.
HARVESTING
Time until first harvest: approximately 6–8 weeks depending on the time of the year
How to harvest: Leaf-by-leaf picking is encouraged for a perpetual harvest. Take the more mature outer leaves first and work your way in, leaving enough foliage on each plant to properly reproduce.
TIP
Harvesting is an essential part of keeping your lettuce productive. Don’t admire your fully formed plant for too long as it will shoot off to seed and become bitter.
