Lettuce is self pollinating (usually) and so varieties can be grown quite close together. A couple of meters is probably sufficient and is helpful as the plants get quite tall and fall over which can cause confusion. The main problem with lettuce is that the flower heads go mouldy before the seed is mature. Plants should be started as early as possible in the year and preferably the year before. they do best in a green house or polytunnel.

The seed is ripe between twelve and twenty-four days after flowering. For maximum seed visit each plant daily and, without breaking the stems, shake the seed heads into a large plastic sack. Alternatively the plant can be harvested when most of the flower heads have gone fluffy and dried off in a paper bag in a warm place. The seeds will fall out when the plant is banged on the sides of the bag or rubbed gently between the hands. Beware of a lot of nasty dust when doing this. Sieve the seeds through a colander to remove any rubbish, and sieve through a fine mesh to remove fine dust (and earwig droppings which always seem to get in.) Leave in a well-ventilated room for a few days to ensure they are dry and store in an airtight jar in a cool place. The seeds should remain viable for three years.

External Links

Growing and Preparing Loose Leaf Lettuce: A Custom Essay
Let Us Grow Lettuce!