Kings Lettuce Saladin Seeds

This variety of lettuce is probably the "Iceberg" that you will find on the grocer's shelf, with large well wrapped heads of shiny bright green leaves. It is a very crisp variety and stands well at maturity. Lettuce is one of the staple ingredients in a crispy, fresh summer salad. So what could be better than growing your very own lettuce to add to your tasty salads. Lettuce seeds can be sown in modules. Seed trays or direct into the growing site and thinned to the required spacings as soon as possible. Rows should be about 30cm apart and the seeds sown 1cm deep. Small lettuces can be spaced at 15-20cm distances, whilst large crispheads will need 30-35cm. Regular watering is essential especially the 7-10 days before maturity. Lettuces mature quickly, butterheads at about 10 weeks and crisphead and cos types at around 14 weeks. They will not stand for more than 5-7 days once mature before running to seed, so successful successional sowing or the use of the "cut and come again" types is required. Sowings begin in February under glass at 15°C followed by outdoor sowings under cloches until late autumn. Sowings for overwinter production uses cloches and glasshouse. Germination difficulties may be experienced in July and August as lettuce seed will go into dormancy if sown in very hot weather. Maturity: 10-12 weeks from sowing. Handy tip: Regular watering around the roots and not on the foliage is essential, especially 7-10 days before maturity. Nutritional value: A good source of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, lutein and vitamin C as well as vitamin K.