Mr Fothergill's Lettuce Little Gem Seeds (1250 Pack)

• A real star of the salad bowl!
• Originally known as ‘Sugar Cos’, Little Gem is so widely regarded it is sold by name in the shops and has become a generic term for this type of small-hearted cos lettuce. Few match the flavour and texture of this much-loved and widely grown original. One of the best lettuces you are likely to grow, it has the Royal Horticultural’s Award of Garden Merit.
• A Best Buy variety as recommended by the Gardening Press and Consumer Groups.
• Recommended by Keith Blundell (Gibside head gardener) in BBC Gardeners World Magazine (January 2015 edition): “Ideal for a small garden or window box, as it can be sown throughout the year and harvested as either cut-and-come-again or a fully grown lettuce. It can also be grown under cloches to extend the season.” Also recommended by Alan Titchmarsh.
• Lettuces do best of all in fairly light, fertile, well-drained soil, especially when well-rotted organic matter has been added to improve moisture retention.An open, sunny site is best. They will not thrive on poor soils which dry out during summer. Originally all lettuces were non-hearting, looseleaf types. Lettuces with a firm head did not appear until the 16th century.

Sow & Grow: Outdoors: sow thinly, March-July where they are to crop, 1.5cm (½") deep, directly into finely-prepared, fertile, moisture-retentive soil, which has already been watered. Allow 25cm (10") between rows. Early sowings may benefit from cloche protection. Seedlings usually appear in 7-14 days. Thin out to 15cm (6") apart. Water well until plants are established. Regular sowings, made every two to three weeks, will ensure a continuous supply. Harvest: May-October.