The name lettuce is believed to have most probably derived from the old French word 'laitues' meaning 'milky', a reference to the white substance that exudes from the stems when cut.

There are basically four different types of lettuce, each slightly different, so, by planting a mix of varieties, you can have a choice of taste, texture and colour.

The cabbage butterhead is round like a cabbage with smooth, spreading leaves, is quick to mature and is exceptionally easy to grow.

The cabbage crisphead resembles the butterhead type having large hearts of crisp, curled leaves, with iceberg the most popular variety.

The cos lettuces grow upright, have oblong leaves and are usually crisp in texture. They take a little longer to mature than other types and need more watering.

The loose leaf lettuces have a profusion of leaves but no heart. The curly leaves are picked as needed without cutting the whole plant and are ideal for growing in tubs, with new leaves appearing throughout the season.

Lettuce like a bright, sunny position in well-drained soil that ideally has had plenty of well-rotted organic matter dug into it, especially if your soil is a sandy or clay type. Shortly before sowing seed or planting seedlings, rake in a general purpose fertiliser. For containers, use a good quality potting mix, that is, one that meets the Australian standard; this logo can be clearly seen on the bag.

To have lettuce ready from early summer to mid-autumn, make the first seed sowing or seedling planting in early spring and continue at two weekly intervals until autumn to ensure a steady supply. Transplant the young plants into the prepared soil in a hole that is deep enough to take the roots without overcrowding or crushing them. Set the spacings at about 30cms apart.

Seed can be sown directly into the prepared garden bed in shallow furrows about 3-5mm deep in rows about 30cms apart. Do not thin out, as this is designed to produce a block of tightly packed lettuces. Cut the leaves when they are 10-13cms high, leaving at least 2.5cms of the stumps above the ground to hopefully produce a second crop in about six weeks.

When planting seed in summer, store in the refrigerator for a few days to aid germination.

Inter-planting is a good method where the lettuces can be planted in between slower maturing vegetables such as parsnips. The lettuces will have been harvested before the other crop needs the space.

Lettuces must be kept growing strongly without any checks or else they can become bitter. Adequate water and a fortnightly feed of a soluble fertiliser high in nitrogen should see the plants growing at a rapid pace. Harvest as soon as a firm heart has formed in the hearting types. The loose leaf varieties are picked as required.

Lettuces can 'bolt to seed' rather easily by sending up tall, thick stems that are bitter and inedible.

Poor soil, lack of moisture and planting the wrong variety for the season are the main causes.

August 16: Australian Plants Society, Max Fry Hall, Gorge Road, Trevallyn, Launceston, 7.30pm.

Club members will speak on Plant Families. Visitors welcome.

August 17: Launceston Horticultural Society meeting, Windmill Hill Hall, High Street, 7.30 pm. The general public are welcome to attend

Daily: Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden, Romaine, Burnie from 9am to 4pm. Tea room open 9.30am to 4pm.