The lettuce thrives in the moist soil underneath the tomatoes.

Some vegetables are just perfect for companion planting. I especially like the combinations of tall and ground-level plants. Growing them together means that I can harvest vegetables on different levels at the same time.

Companion planting: Which vegetables should I use?

I like growing lettuce in spots that I always remember to water, so the polytunnel seems like the perfect choice. Watering has become almost instinctual in the polytunnel since it obviously doesn’t rain in there. But I need to remember to find the right types of lettuce for the conditions in the polytunnel. They need to be hardy and able to handle warm temperatures without bolting. There’s usually information about which varieties are the most heat resistant on the back of the seed bag. Try sowing lettuce in the summer though, that’s the best season to do it in my opinion.

You can of course also plant lettuce and tomatoes together in the open field. The lettuce really thrives under the tomato greens where the soil doesn’t dry out as easily.

The fertilized soil I’m using for the tomato plants benefits the lettuce too.

This garden bed contains tomatoes, Batavia lettuce, and the heat tolerant Buttercrunch lettuce.

Growing lettuce: which lettuce should you pick?

I find new space for lettuce in my garden bed as soon as I start harvesting. I’ve planted Little Gem and iceberg lettuce underneath the tomatoes.

I sow lettuce all summer long and start the last batch in September. That’s the lettuce I plan to overwinter. You don’t need to wait for the lettuce head to grow to maximum size before you can eat it. Smaller heads and even individual leaves are delicious too!
/Sara Bäckmo