Gardening tips for May: Thin lettuce

There is no end to the kinds of lettuce available to the modern grower and no excuse for not trying something new every year. The wise cultivator sows a short run at a time, with another sowing in a fortnight and so on, so that we’re spared the undignified sight of uneaten plants running up to flower. Once the seedlings are well established, thin them with finger and thumb to a few inches apart, and then again to permit decent rosettes to form. A light firming to follow, and water the row in the evening. SCD

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