Plant sugar loaf lettuce - Here's how it's done

If you want to eat fresh lettuce from the garden in winter, you should plant sugar loaf lettuce. Find out more about growing, caring for and harvesting this lettuce plant here.

Unfortunately, the sugar loaf is still one of the lesser known types of lettuce in our garden beds. And this despite the fact that it is closely related to the chicory and also needs to be planted in a similar way and requires only minimal maintenance.

It is also ideal as a fresh winter salad and can only be sown in summer (end of June to end of July) as a so-called second crop of e.g. legumes.

We would like to show you how easy it is to grow and care for the sugar loaf lettuce. So give it a try this year and plant sugarloaf lettuce.

Plant sugarloaf lettuce:

Of course, you can sow the sugar loaf directly in the most nutrient-rich garden bed (row spacing about 40 centimeters). However, it is far easier to cultivate a pre-culture in small planters, which makes it much easier to grow and the more robust little plants can then be used directly on the spot. In this case, planting the sugar loaf at the beginning of August is sufficient.

Hint:

Well-stocked nurseries even offer sugar loaf plants for sale within their range. The varieties Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto are popular.

Proper care for sugar loaf lettuce:

» Fertilize:

If you enrich the garden beds with compost before planting, a single, reduced application of complete fertilizer is usually sufficient. Otherwise, you should apply a minimum of complete fertilizer if necessary, especially after periods of heavy rain - also loosen the soil around the plants a little, especially since the sugar loaf can easily be counted among the root crops.

Hint:

Often the sugar loaf is completely satisfied with organic fertilization. Stinging nettle liquid manure has proven particularly effective.

» Fight pests:

In principle, the sugar loaf is hardly ever attacked by diseases and pests. Now and then thoughits outer leaves rot (e.g. during longer periods of rain). You should then simply pick them off.

And some snails still enjoy this late type of lettuce and should therefore be removed regularly. (Link tip: Snails in the garden - do without these plants)

» Winter protection:

The vitamin-rich sugar loaf plants generally tolerate slight frost temperatures down to around minus 7 degrees, which is why they can be harvested throughout autumn and in milder regions even in winter (until December).

You can also significantly extend the harvest time with the sugar loaf - protected by a fleece. Or you can then wrap the already harvested plants in sand, which is particularly recommended during longer periods of rain to avoid rotting.

Harvest sugar loaf lettuce

You can harvest the first sugar loaf lettuce as early as October. To do this, dig out the head of lettuce including the root ball from the soil and then discard the large binders.