celtuce

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Slugs

Slugs

Gastropoda

Ragged, smooth-edged holes and slime trails, all of it done overnight.

, Flea beetles

Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae (Alticini)

Shot-holes in seedling leaves, and a beetle that jumps when you lean in.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

, Ground beetles

Ground beetles

Carabidae

Night-active ground hunters, taking slugs, cutworms and leatherjackets at soil level.

to keep them in check — plant BuglossGood, Hairy VetchGood and Viper's BuglossGood nearby.

Growing from seed

Start celtuce indoors about 4 weeks before your last frost. Seeds usually come up in around 7 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 25 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 60 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Buchii Lavender
  

  Buchii LavenderGreat pair

  • ❧Buchii Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Flea beetles that attack celtuce
  • ❧celtuce draws Butterflies and Bees that improve pollination for both
  • ❧celtuce acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Buchii Lavender
• 
  round leaf lavender
  

  round leaf lavenderGreat pair

  • ❧round leaf lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Flea beetles that attack celtuce
  • ❧celtuce draws Butterflies and Bees that improve pollination for both
  • ❧celtuce acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around round leaf lavender
• 
  Canary Island lavender
  

  Canary Island lavenderGreat pair

  • ❧Canary Island lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Flea beetles that attack celtuce
  • ❧celtuce draws Butterflies and Bees that improve pollination for both
  • ❧celtuce acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Canary Island lavender

How to grow celtuce

1. Sow4 weeks before frost
2. Germinates7 days
3. Space25 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~60 days

Water: Medium · Height: 45 cm · Soil: Well-draining soil rich in organic matter; prefers slightly acidic to neutral pH.