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Cut & come again lettuce?

LeadFarmerLeadFarmer Posts: 1,500
edited March 2023 in Fruit & veg
I fancy growing some this year, what varieties have people here had most success with? I plan to grow in the greenhouse and sow a few different varieties in succession throughout the season.

Thanks. 


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Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    We like oak leaf lettuce.  In my Belgian garden aI used to plant alternate red and green plants like a mosaic so they looked pretty as well as being tasty.  I grew them in a shady bed that didn't get full sun except around midsummer.   Bit too sunny and dry here but I have some red ones ready to plant out once this frosty spell is over.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • war garden 572war garden 572 Posts: 664
    any loose leaf or loose head variety will
    work.depending on your summer weather you might need
    a heat tolerant variety in the mix. 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited March 2023
    I rarely grow any of them to full size as they just get eaten by slugs if I plant them out.
    I've grown the oak leaf type that @Obelixx mentions quite often, but I had a red one called Deronda that I saved seed from and used again new last year, and it worked well. I usually have a lolla rossa type as well. 
    I had a green one too, but I can't recall the name.  I'll have a look for it - it was a long name.* 
    I sow in pots inside, usually through March, then split them into clumps and plant in troughs or bigger pots. They go outside when the weather's decent enough for them to thrive. You get a good few harvests from them, and in the meantime, I sow more to keep the supply going.  :)

    * Black Seeded Simpson. I wasn't overly impressed with it though. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • EmptyheadtimeEmptyheadtime Posts: 366
    I just used the mixed packets. I currently have dtbrowns salad mix and their mixed contrasts. They work well for me.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I have some wee plugs of red oak leaf lettuce @Fairygirl and I think I'll try your trick of using pots up near the kitchen so I can keep an eye on slugs and pick leaves on speck.   I suspect they'll get lost down the veg plot this early in the year.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    I struggle to grow any kind of lettuce,

    except Valdor, which germinates well, survives through frost and snow, good for cut and come again, but will bolt if it's too dry
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - it can be a bit tricky with the slugs. The end of my garden nearest the kitchen is also the sunniest, but I sometimes put them in behind the bench, so they get a bit more shade. I haven't sown any yet though. Usually this month. 
    Last year, I put three separate plants in a trough to grow on a bit bigger, and then put that  up on two pots in a tray of water, so that they were raised and protected from anything trying to 'swim'. That worked well, and I had more pots growing on for cut and come again.  :)

    I've used those 'mixed varieties' too @Emptyheadtime, and they work as cut and come again.  I think most types seem to work   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    StephenSouthwest said:
    I struggle to grow any kind of lettuce,

    except Valdor, which germinates well, survives through frost and snow, good for cut and come again, but will bolt if it's too dry
    Have you tried Mazur at all ?  They usually last over winter here in Somerset.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I've just noticed you want to grow the lettuce in your greenhouse @LeadFarmer. You might find it too hot for them and that can make them bolt. As @Obelixx was saying, she has them in a shadier bed, and even here, I try to keep them reasonably shaded. 

    I only have them inside when I sow initially, ie at this time of year.  I've never had them undercover apart from that. I don't know if others grow them inside through the main season. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    philippasmith2 said:
    StephenSouthwest said:
    I struggle to grow any kind of lettuce,

    except Valdor, which germinates well, survives through frost and snow, good for cut and come again, but will bolt if it's too dry
    Have you tried Mazur at all ?  They usually last over winter here in Somerset.
    No I've not - thanks for the tip, it's germinating something less likely to bolt that I don't seem to be able to do. ...though I've enough Valdor seed from the garden to keep me going for years!

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