LETTUCE
Lettuce’s botanical name Lactuca sativa is from the Latin word lac meaning (milk) which refers to its milky sap. There are now over 100 species of lettuce probably originating from countries bordering the Mediterranean sea . It was originally a medicinal plant but records show that it was being eaten as early as 4500BC. The Greeks believed that lettuce induced sleep, the Romans began to eat it before a main meal to wet their appetite. Lettuce was known to the Anglo Saxons as sleepwort.
Christopher Columbus took lettuce’s to America, they were originally loose leaf plants It wasn’t until the 16th century when head type lettuce appeared. Lettuce provides us with vitamin A & C, and is packed with antioxidants & is low in calories. They need an open site with light fertile soil, they do not do well in poor soil which dries out during the summer period.
Always read the seed packet before planting
Blog & research by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)
