Lambs Lettuce D'Orlanda
Your other lettuces will grow slowly in the winter, and may give up the ghost altogether if the weather's harsh. So it's a good idea to sow yourself a banker like lambs lettuce in late summer. It's unaffected by all but very harsh frosts and grows relatively quickly despite short days and lack of heat.
D'Orlanda produces large, deliciously tender leaves that you can use as you would any summer salad leaves.
Time from seed to plate: 10 weeks
Sowing Calendar
Sow
Sow lambs lettuce directly into your soil - ideally in late August or early September. Timing is quite important. Sow too early and it will develop mildew. Leave it too late and it won't establish itself before the cold weather comes and growth will be painfully slow.
Sow two rows of seed by laying a narrow piece of wood across your bed and dragging a trowel along the edge to create two shallow grooves in the soil about 1/2in deep. Sprinkle in the seeds aiming for one every half inch or so. Firm the soil back and water well.
Grow
Thin your seedlings to leave gaps of 3in between plants.
Harvest
Lambs lettuce is slower growing than summer salad leaves because of the cold temperatures and short days it's growing in, but should be ready to harvest 8-10 weeks from sowing. Cut individual rosettes of leaves off a plant, leaving the rest to carry on growing.