LAte sowing for sAlAd

A pot of red lettuce, such as ‘Lollo Rossa’, underplanted with tender pea shoots provides leaves of contrasting colour and flavour, which can be harvested late into the summer and early autumn. A circle of newspaper reserves space for the lettuce, and pea seeds are planted around its edges. The newspaper circle is taken away and replaced by a square of paper with a circle of the same size cut out. This then covers the pea seeds, the circle indicating where the lettuce seeds are to be planted. This paper is removed and a thin layer of compost added to cover the seeds, which then receive a good watering. In a few weeks, fresh leaves are ready to be picked.