Spring is officially here. For us at the nursery, it’s the busiest time of the year. And one plant that always flies out the door during spring and summer, is lettuce.

Luckily we have loads of lettuce varieties available at Awapuni Nurseries. In fact, as I write this, we have around nine varieties of lettuce on our online shop. This includes your traditional varieties like iceberg and greatlakes, and more ‘modern’ styles like baby cos and mesclun mix. We also stock Chinese lettuce, a mixed lettuce bundle, and lettuce features in a couple of other vegetable mixed bundles.

It’s not surprising lettuce is a popular plant to grow at this time of year. They grow well in these conditions and, in my opinion, there’s just something about the warmer weather that makes you want to enjoy salad.

It’s funny now to think that back in the day we used to harvest the whole lettuce when it was ready. Those were the days when iceberg was all the rage! But now, as most of us know, with many of the types of lettuce you can just pick off the leaves you need at the time and leave the plant growing.

Probably the hardest part about growing lettuce is deciding which type to plant. That’s why I’m a big fan of growing a couple of several varieties. Our lettuce mix is perfect if you just want a two or three seedlings of a few different varieties.

Once you’ve got your lettuce seedlings look for somewhere well-drained and sheltered to plant them. If you don’t have much space, try growing them in pots or even hanging baskets. The great thing about growing them in containers is you can make them easily accessible to your kitchen.

When you’ve found the right spot to plant, dig a little hole and plant each seedling around 20cm apart. Try not to overcrowd your seedlings to prevent fungal diseases. And watch out for slugs.