Lettuce

Put the soil tablet on a saucer and pour 50ml of water over it.
Put on gloves and mix the water into the soil with your hands to make a wet mixture. Watch the soil expand.
Use most of your soil to fill up the pot to around 2cm below the top.
Now place your seed mat on top of the soil (take care not to press down too hard).
Now use the rest of your soil mixture to cover the seed mat.
Remember to wash your hands when you’re done!

Place the pot on a clean saucer in a place with enough light, but not directly in the sun.
Check the soil in the morning, and before bed. If the soil feels dry and crumbly, pour a small amount of clean water over the surface.
Within a few days you should see a little plant appear from the soil. That means the seeds have germinated and will be ready soon to move into a bigger pot or garden.
If more than one little plant grows, you can thin your lettuce seedling by choosing the strongest-looking one and removing the others. You can eat the picked seedlings like microgreens.

When the lettuce is about as tall as your finger (in approx. 1 month), it’s ready to shift into the garden or pot.
Get your lettuce used to life outside: you can harden off your lettuce seedling by putting it in a warm and sheltered spot for 1-2 hours a day and return inside for the night. Do this for 4-5 days, leaving it outside for a little longer each day before you shift it out into the garden forever.

Give your lettuce a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade, especially in hotter parts of the country. In full sun, lettuce is likely to bolt to seed and will start to taste bitter.
Lettuce is easy to grow in a pot, but make sure to water it regularly.

As soon as the lettuce head forms, but before the outer leaves turn brown (in approx. 5-6 weeks) the lettuce is ready to harvest.

Lettuce can be affected by downy mildew, a fungal infection that causes a white film on the leaves. If you notice this, remove affected leaves and spray the plant weekly with a milk and baking soda spray.
Slugs and snails will nibble on young plants, so create your own pest protection, lay out bait or pick off these slimy pests.
Consider protecting each plant with a cover (cloche) made from a used plastic bottle.

New World Little Gardens