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Lettuce can be planted in average soil in early to mid spring and again in
late summer. Cover the seeds with ½ inch of fine soil then firm
lightly. You can either seed in a bed or in rows. Make successive plantings
to extend your harvest. Keep the soil moist. Germination should
occur in seven to fourteen days. Additionally, lettuce can be started in flats
and transplanted.
Thin seedlings as required so that crowding is not restricting growth. Final
spacing is about twelve inches - so that the leaves from one plant are just
touching the next. The thinnings are good for an early salad. Control
weeds by mulching or periodic cultivation. Lettuce thrives in cooler
weather.
In
addition to the lettuce varieties on this page, here are other greens that
you might be interested in adding to your salad:
[
Cress ] [ Spinach ]
[ New Zealand Spinach ]
[ Endive /
Escarole ]
[ Fennel ] [
Parsley ] [
Basil
]
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 Black Seeded
Simpson (Leaf)
45 days — A large upright, compact leaf-type lettuce with
light green, wide, curled leaves.
It is
a very early, dependable, and productive variety. Very
heat tolerant and slow to bolt. |
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 Buttercrunch
(Bibb-type)
55 to 60 days — Long lasting,
heat tolerant, dark green with reddish tints.
The heads are rosette shaped with thick leaves.
Introduced at Cornell University in 1963 and an "All-American Selection®"
winner the same year. |
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 Hanson
Improved (Head)
70 to 80 days — This variety was released sometime prior to 1855.
The heads are large, yellowish-green with frilled leaves and white
hearts. Does well in heat. |
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Iceberg (Head)
82 days — Medium size, light green with a tinge
of brown, tightly folded, crinkled. Crisp white interior with a
fine flavor.
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Kagraner Sommer (Butterhead)
58 days — It is a good mid-season variety as it is slow to bolt in the summer
heat.Originally from Germany, the heads are light green and medium sized. |
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Little
Gem (Butterhead)
65 days — Small, five inch heads that are heat
tolerant, have excellent flavor and are sweet and crunchy. |
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Lollo
Rosso (Leaf)
50 to 70 days — The leaves are a beautiful
magenta color with a light green base, deeply curled with a very
mild flavor. It can be sown in spring or fall in most areas
and is a "cut and come again" type. |
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 Merveille
de Quatre Saisons (Bibb-type)
40 days — As the name suggests, this plant is
"marvelous."This French heirloom was first
introduced to Americans on the PBS series, "The Victory
Garden."
Ruby red-tipped leaves that surround tight
folded green hearts. Does great through the summer heat and
can withstand down to 20ºF in a sealed greenhouse. |
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 Mignonette,
Bronze (Butterhead)
65 days — The globular heads have frilled leaves are green-on-bronze with hearts that are creamy colored. The plants are small and compact.
Introduced in 1898, the are slow to bolt and suitable for hot weather. |
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Oak
Leaf (Leaf)
40 days — Early variety,
tender and long standing. The leaves are heat resistant and
dark green. Not bitter. |
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Parris
Island Cos (Romaine)
66 days — Uniform heads
are tall and erect. Interior is pale-green to cream and the outer
leaves are dark, gray, green. Developed by the USDA and
Clemson Agricultural Experimental Station. |
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Prizehead (Leaf)
55 days — Despite the name, it is a
non-heading, leaf lettuce. The leaves are upright, deeply
curled, broad, and light green.
Named after the island off
of South Carolina. Released in 1952 by Clemson Agricultural
Experimental Station and the
USDA. |
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Rouge
d'Hiver (Romaine)
65 days — The large, broad leaves vary in color
from green to bronze to red and are sweet flavored.
It is
very attractive and an old European heirloom variety from the
1800s. |
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Salad
Bowl, Green (Leaf)
50 days — Light green, long wavy leaves are
slow to bolt and tolerant of heat. Doesn't get bitter in the
hot weather. Introduced in 1952 and was an "All-American Selection®"
winner in the same year. |
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 Salad
Bowl, Red (Leaf)
50 days — Similar to Green Salad Bowl
except for the reddish-bronze color.
It is a very decorative
plant and is slow to bolt allowing for a long harvest.
Introduced in 1955. |
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 Tom
Thumb (Butterhead)
70 days — Very compact plants with small, tennis
ball sized heads. The leaves are medium green, slightly
crumpled with creamy yellow centers.
Dating back to the
1830s, it is one of the oldest American varieties still
available. Does well in containers indoors and out. |
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Waldmann’s
Green (Leaf)
50 days — Large frilled leaves.
The plants are productive and uniform and do well in the garden or greenhouse. |
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Winter
Density
(Romaine)
65 days — The heads of this variety are dark-green, heavy and
compact reaching ten inches across.
They are slow to bolt and tolerant of
some frost making it suitable for summer and winter gardens. |
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