Your comments and tips

19 Jan 12, rob (Australia - temperate climate)

the only thing that i can think of is the amount of sun that the beds are getting and the seeds need to be kept moist to germinate

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28 Nov 12, Jim (Australia - temperate climate)

Try covering the seeds with 4 or 5 layers of newspaper and watering the paper to keep them moist and dark.

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03 Mar 12, gary ellard (Australia - temperate climate)

try putting hessian bags over the area where the seeds are planted and keep moist . this will work for nearly all planted seeds and they will germinate a lot quicker than stated on the packet. YOU MUST KEEP THE HESSIAN WET/DAMP.

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30 Dec 11, tammy (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I have grown letuces for the first time and they are growing really well BUT each lettuce has 2 or 3 heads on it. There is the main one in the middle and they all either have another one or 2 heads growing off the side. they are beautiful and firm. IS THIS NORMAL, i have really good brown dirt in yard and added a bag of organic animal manure to soil 2 weeks before planting.

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04 Dec 11, Simon Adelaide Hills (Australia - temperate climate)

I have planted Cos lettuce for the past two years while they grow well they do not seen to develop a good heart. They are in good sun for 3/4 of the day in well draining soil. The soil was prepared with home compost and pea strall, any thoughts please

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12 Dec 11, Randy (Australia - temperate climate)

Cos lettuce don't develop a heart like eg iceberg lettuce. Just keep taking leaves from the outside as it continues to grow.

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27 Nov 11, katy (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Hi, I planted 4 lettuces 9 weeks ago and they have grown into great little bunches. I pulled some of the other day to put in a sandwich and it was terrible bittery....help!! they are only planted next to tomatoes..

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13 Dec 11, Tracey (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Katy 9 weeks is a long time for them to only produce little bunches. For mild sweet flavour lettuce need to be grown fast - that is, plenty of water and plenty of available nutrients in the soil, including plenty of available nitrogen. Otherwise they can be quite bitter. Is it possible they got too dry or that the soil was not amended before they went in? Fortnightly feeding with something like worm tea can help if you're growing in containers or still building up your soil. Lettuce also tends to become bitter if it is going to seed, but if that's the problem you would be able to see the central flower stalk forming.

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13 Aug 11, Glenn (Australia - arid climate)

I am trying to identify which lettuces handle the heat better than others. We live in outback SA but we have plenty of water and I can erect shade, but I can't do much about the heat. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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14 Nov 11, JETset (Australia - temperate climate)

What part of Outback SA? If you look at the Diggers site (diggers.com.au) they have a few slow to bolt varieties. That is all I could suggest as I believe it is the heat which causes bolting. Goldrush and Flame are 2 you could try. I am in Adelaide and will probably have the same issue when it gets to late January. Cheers and Good luck

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