Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a hero in both the kitchen and the garden. It is easy and fast to grow indoors to add a slight nutty taste to salads or sandwiches.
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Growing your own lettuce will give you salad in a flash! You can be picking young lettuce leaves in just a few weeks. You can grow them in your garden, patio or even balcony – they’re small plants, so they’re perfect for containers.
How to grow lettuce in a garden
- Choose a spot in your garden that sits in full sun and enrich the soil with Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed.
- Lettuce seeds are very tiny and only need to be sown 3mm deep. Don’t sow them any deeper, otherwise they won’t be able to grow. Sow a few seeds directly into each planting hole and lightly cover with soil. You can also raise in trays of Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix and transplant when 3-4cm high.
- Once seedlings appear, feed weekly with Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate. Mulch around the base with organic mulch like pea or lucerne straw.
- Water regularly to keep the soil moist, otherwise lettuce can be bitter tasting.
- Make successive sowings every few weeks to extend your harvest window and snip or pick outer leaves often to encourage more growth.
How to grow lettuce in a pot
- Choose a pot at least 200mm and position in full sun. Fill with quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix.
- Sow a few seeds directly into each planting hole and lightly cover with soil. You can also raise in trays of Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix and transplant when 3-4cm high.
- Once seedlings appear, feed weekly with Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate.
- Water regularly to keep the soil moist, otherwise lettuce can be bitter tasting.
- Make successive sowings every few weeks to extend your harvest window and snip or pick outer leaves often to encourage more growth.
Growing tips
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Lettuce seeds can be sown straight into the garden (or pots) or you can start them off in trays or punnets first.
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Keep the seeds moist while they germinate and start to grow. They also like to be kept moist, so water them well, especially on warm days.
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The quicker lettuce grows, the more tender and sweet it is! This means it’s important to feed lettuce plants every week with a fast acting liquid fertiliser like Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate, which helps lettuces grow lots of lovely leaves.
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You don’t need to pick the whole lettuce. You can pick off some of the outer leaves as you need them, remembering to break the leaves off near the base. Picking these leaves also helps to keep the lettuce growing for longer.
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Water at soil level, rather than overhead, to minimise risk of disease.
More Plants
Watercress
The peppery taste of watercress brings the pizzazz to sandwiches, winter dishes & garnishes. The high content of Calcium, Iron & Vitamins make watercress a super-healthy option.
Perilla
A widely used ingredient in Asian cooking, it's highly nutritious and beautiful to look at too. Here's how to grow perilla in the garden or in pots.
Swede
Here's a guide on how to grow swedes in the garden or pots.
Recommended products
Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed
A certified organic garden input boosted with NZ Seaweed to gently nourish plants, enrich the soil and encourage a strong healthy root system.
Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix
Specially formulated for trouble-free seed raising in trays (or outdoor seed sowing direclty into the ground) and propagation of cuttings.
Yates Thrive Natural Fish & Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate
A complete plant food enriched with natural fish, seaweed, humates, molasses and more - boosted with NPK to improve plant and soil vitality.
Yates Premium Potting Mix
A premium potting mix, ideal for all potted plants and shrubs, including ornamentals, fruit trees, vegies and herbs.
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