Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, with its distinctive
home-away-from-home feel and serene and picturesque location along the
Lions River, is known for its beautiful garden setting and food.
General Manager, Sean Granger, says that many guests tell them that,
on returning home, they feel inspired to transform their own gardens
and grow their own produce.
“Our food gardens are indispensable to us” says Sean, “but not
everyone has the time, budget or suitable property to establish one,
and growing tunnels can be unsightly in an urban setting”.
The ubiquitous lettuce Lactuca sativa is easy to cultivate- and not
something that monkeys fancy.
There are many varieties of lettuce: Buttercrunch, Green Oakleaf,
Green Salad Bowl, Cinnamon Cos, Butter Blush, Lollo Rosso,
Forellenschluss, Brune D’Hiver, Henderson’s Black Seeded Simpson,
Little Gem, May Queen, Mervielle des Quatre Saisons, Tom Thumb, Parris
Island Cos, Mignonette Bronze.
Good Companions: Asparagus, Beans, Beetroot, Cabbages, Carrots,
Celery, Chicory, Cucumber, Dill, Fennel, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Mint,
Onions, Peas, Pumpkins, Radish, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Sweetcorn,
Tomatoes, Yarrow.
Bad Companions: Parsley, Parsnip.
Sowing and Planting: Lettuce is adaptable to many growing conditions,
but likes it cool – around 15°C to 18°C. Generally, better results
will be obtained by growing during the cooler months. Lettuce grows
best in full sun, though excessive heat can cause it to bolt, or
leaves to wilt.
South African full sun, especially during summer, is generally too hot
and they should be grown under shade – 30-40% shade cloth would be
ideal. Also, if growing during hot summer conditions, be sure to keep
the top few centimetres of soil moist at all times (a good mulch
helps). Lettuces are very shallow rooted plants and even a few hours
of a lack of water will send the plants into survival mode (i.e. they
will bolt / go to seed).
Lettuce is tolerant of a wide range of soils, but prefers
well-drained, cool, loose soil with plentiful moisture and a pH 6.2 to
6.8. To encourage tender and tasty growth, make sure location is rich
in organic compost matter.
Direct seed or transplant in early spring, as soon as you can work the
soil. Prepare beds by working in manure or compost and raking smooth
to leave a fine seedbed. Seeds need light to germinate; sow at a very
shallow depth by covering with a thin layer of growing medium.
Direct-seeding: Sow seeds 2-3mm deep, 2.5cm apart in rows 30 to 45cm
apart. When plants have two or three true leaves, thin to 30cm
spacings for crisphead varieties, 15 to 25cm for other types. You can
also lightly broadcast seed (particularly of looseleaf varieties) in a
patch instead of a row.
Transplants: Sow in seed trays 3 to 4 weeks before transplanting
outside. Harden seedlings for 3-5 days before transplanting.
Growing: Use row covers or cloches to protect very early plantings
from cold, to protect young plants from insects and to shade crops
when warm weather arrives.
Make succession plantings every week or two, and grow several
varieties with different maturity dates for a continuous supply.
Moisture, stress, and high temperatures, particularly at night,
encourage bolting. As the season progresses, plant more bolt-resistant
varieties. Locate plants where they will be partially shaded by taller
nearby plants, latticework or other screens.
Mulch to retain moisture and to suppress weeds. Fertilising can be
helpful to promote faster growth, especially a fish emulsion type that
is not high in nitrogen that can cause greens to become bitter. Water
lightly but consistently.
Harvesting: Many varieties of lettuce can be harvested as microgreens,
baby greens, leaves, or the entire plant. Ideally, greens should be
collected early in the day to prevent wilting.
Microgreens are usually harvested within 2 weeks after germination by
cutting the entire plant just above the ground, once it is around 10cm
tall.
Baby greens are harvested between 28 and 35 days after germination.
Looseleaf, butterhead and romaine types can typically be harvested as
baby greens, while iceberg lettuce is not suitable as baby greens.
Mature leaves can be harvested from all types of lettuce, except for
iceberg, any time in the growing cycle, until a central stem begins to
form. This indicates that the plant is preparing to bolt to seed and
greens collected from such plants are often too bitter for
consumption.
Entire plants can be harvested in mid-development while the leaves are
still plump and tender, but before a stem has started to form. Many
varieties of looseleaf lettuce can be harvested numerous times during
a single growing season.
Some other general guidelines when harvesting the entire plant: Leaf
lettuce can be cut as soon as it is large enough to use, usually in 50
to 60 days from planting. Cutting every other plant at the ground will
give remaining plants more space for growth.
Romaine and Butterhead lettuce can be harvested in about 60 to 70 days
from planting.
Iceberg (crisphead) varieties take longer and should be harvested as
soon as a head develops but before outer leaves turn brown. If seed
stalks appear, pick the lettuce immediately and store in the
refrigerator to prevent bitterness.
To store lettuce, first wash it well by immersing in water and
swishing it around. Place it in a colander and rinse then drip dry.
When it is dry, place it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator or wrap
in paper towels and place in a bowl in the refrigerator. Avoid storing
lettuce with apples, pears or bananas as they release a natural
ripening agent that will cause brown spots and the leaves will decay
quickly.