How to...

It couldn't be easier. Sow your seeds in anything, from little pots to pint glasses. Try to sow them 1/4in deep in rows 12ins apart. Once you've got your seed to established seedlings move them to a slightly bigger pot and let them grow!

All-Year-Round Lettuce

This wonderful All-The-Year-Round Lettuce variety dates back all the way to 1829, and is a type of lettuce we still grow in the organic walled kitchen garden at Audley End today. To get your seeds growing here's some helpful hints from Audley's Head Gardener Alan North...

• To start your lettuces grow them indoors. Keep them warm (they like the sun!), don't let the soil dry out and you will see them start to poke through.
• Once they've established themselves, carefully plant them out into fertile, well drained soil. Dig a hole a little bigger than the plant and place your lettuce seedling in, fill around with soil and press down gently.
• Look after your plants, if the weather turns cold at night put a cloche over them, just like the Victorians used to do!
• Feed them with mulched, organic compost to keep them healthy.
• In 4-6 weeks you should have a fully formed lettuce, good luck!

'Lettuce' Know!

Make sure you 'lettuce' know how they grow by posting your pictures to our Facebook wall. Keep an eye out for our competitive staff as we update the page with pictures of their attempts to grow the best lettuce.