{"id":2114,"date":"2019-10-07T05:59:02","date_gmt":"2019-10-07T05:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2114"},"modified":"2019-10-07T05:59:10","modified_gmt":"2019-10-07T05:59:10","slug":"lettuce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/07\/lettuce\/","title":{"rendered":"Lettuce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lactuca<\/em> <\/em>sativa<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: Lettuce is probably descended from Lactuca\nserriola<\/em> and originated somewhere around the Mediterranean or Near East.\nSome types have been grown since the time of the ancient Egyptians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lettuce is almost synonymous with salad. It is easily the most\npopular salad ingredient, as countless restaurant salads consisting of a bowl\nof lettuce with a couple of cherry tomatoes will testify. The lettuce available\nin supermarkets rarely measures up to those you can grow yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing: <\/strong>Lettuce is easy to grow if you give it the right conditions, which\nmeans fairly cool and moist weather. The challenge comes in getting it to grow\nwhen you want it, as it doesn\u2019t\nlike hot weather. The other problem is that once it is mature it doesn\u2019t stay\nin prime condition for very long before it turns bitter and bolts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: This varies\na lot depending upon the type. Head lettuce is the least nutritious (though not\nnegligible and leaf and romaine types are the most nutritious. They contain\nprotein, calcium, vitamins A, C and K, as well as several B vitamins. They are\nalso a good source of copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and\nvarious antioxidants. They are pretty low in calories, with about 60 per pound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 6.0 (6.8) 7.5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lettuce needs to grow fast for best quality, which requires a good\nsoil. It should be fertile, moisture retentive, well-drained and rich in\norganic matter. The pH isn\u2019t particularly important. Light soils that warm up\nquickly are good for early\nlettuce.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n
About Lettuce<\/strong> \u00a0
Seed facts<\/strong>
Germination temp: 35 – 80\u00b0F
Germination time: 2 – 15 days
49 days \/ 35\u00b0F (may rot)
15 days \/ 40\u00b0F
7 days \/ 50\u00b0F
3 days \/ 60\u00b0F * Optimum
2 days \/ 77\u00b0F
3 days \/ 86\u00b0F (only 12% germination)
Seed viability: 2 – 5 years
Germination percentage: 80%+
Time to grow transplant: 5 – 6 wks \u00a0

Planning facts<\/strong>
Hardiness: Half hardy
Growing temp: 45 (60 – 65) 75\u00b0F
Plants per person: 4 per sowing
Plants per sq ft: 4 \u00a0

Planting<\/strong>:
Start: 6 – 8 wks before last frost
Plant out: 2 – 4 wks before last frost
Direct sow spring:
Leaf: 4 – 6 wks before last frost
Head: 2 – 4 wks before
Fall crop: 6 – 8 wks before first fall frost
Succession sow: every 2 – 3 wks \u00a0

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Days to harvest: 50 – 100 days
Yield per plant: 6 – 12 oz
Yield per sq ft: 1 lb \u00a0
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Lettuce has a weak root system and isn\u2019t a very efficient\nfeeder, so the soil needs to be quite fertile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its first requirement is for nitrogen (add compost or aged\nmanure), but it also needs moderate amounts of potassium (add wood ashes or\ngreensand) and phosphorus (add colloidal phosphate). It also likes calcium, so\nyou might also want to give it some dolomitic limestone. To simplify things you might just add an\norganic fertilizer mix at the recommended rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepare the soil by adding 2\u02dd of compost or aged manure (unlike\nmost plants it is also happy with fresh manure), along with any other\namendments. This needn\u2019t be dug in very deeply as lettuce is quite shallow\nrooted (the weak roots only penetrate about 4 – 8\u02dd). For very early crops you\nmight want to prepare the\nsoil the previous fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: In cool climates lettuce needs full sun,\nbut in hotter ones it will benefit from light shade during the hottest part of\nthe day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Lettuce germinates quite well in cool (40\u00b0F) soil and will\ncontinue to do so until the temperature gets up to 75\u00b0F (after this it gets\nerratic). With careful planning and a little ingenuity it is possible to have\nlettuce for 6 – 9 months of the year (though much depends on the climate). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring<\/strong>: The first spring sowing should be of leaf lettuce, as this is\nthe hardiest kind. It can be direct sown 6 wks before the last frost, or\nstarted indoors 8 weeks before the last frost and planted out 4 weeks later.\nProperly hardened seedlings can take frost down to 20\u00b0F. For the earliest crops\nyou may want to warm the soil with cloches and use transplants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head lettuce is less hardy than the leaf\ntypes, so is usually started indoors 6 weeks before the last frost date.\nSeedlings can be planted out 2 weeks before the last frost date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer<\/strong>: Lettuce doesn\u2019t like hot weather. At temperatures above 75\u00b0F\nonly 50% of the seed may germinate and the plants may turn bitter and bolt\nquickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To have lettuce through the warmest part of the growing season you\nhave to be creative. Use a heat tolerant variety, water every day and plant it\nin the shade of larger plants. If a spell of cooler weather is forecast, you\ncan take advantage of it to sow some lettuce. See Unusual\nGrowing ideas<\/strong> for more on this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autumn<\/strong>: Sow fall lettuce 4 – 8 weeks before the first fall frost date\n(or whenever summer temperatures start to moderate). Pests are very active at\nthis time, so you may want to start them inside or in a protected place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter<\/strong>: Some hardy varieties of lettuce can tolerate temperatures as low\nas 25\u00b0F and can be grown as a winter crop in milder areas. Start the plants\n(inside or out) about 4 – 6 weeks before you expect the first frost. Though\nthey are quite hardy, they still do better when given protection from hard\nfrost. The additional warmth of a cold frame or cloche can greatly boost growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In very cold areas you can grow lettuce in the greenhouse or cold\nframe. If you do this, make sure they stay cool (35 – 45\u00b0F), as low light\nlevels and short days, combined with higher temperatures, can encourage bolting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Succession sowing<\/strong>: Most lettuce is only harvested once and then it is gone, so you\nneed a constant supply of new plants. To get this you need to sow a small\nquantity of seeds every 10 – 21 days (depending on time of year). There is only\na short time between lettuce maturing and lettuce bolting (especially in warm\nweather), so you don\u2019t want to have many mature plants at one time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To spread out the harvest you can plant different varieties with\ndifferent maturation dates. You can also start harvesting the plants while they\nare immature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Planting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transplants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting inside<\/strong>: Lettuce is\noften grown from transplants, as this gives the fastest harvest, saves on bed\nspace and avoids various garden hazards. Seedlings are easily raised and don\u2019t\nmind root disturbance, so you can use flats, cell packs, plug trays or soil\nblocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When using flats space your seed 1\u02dd\napart. When the seedlings are about 2\u02dd tall and start to touch each other,\nprick out into another flat, leaving 2\u02dd between the plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cell packs, plug trays and soil blocks should be big enough that the plants don\u2019t need\ntransplanting to large containers. Sow 2 or 3 seeds in each cell and remove the\nweaker seedlings when the best one is 2\u02dd tall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that some kinds of lettuce need light for germination.\nThis is easy to arrange, just don\u2019t cover the seed with soil. Of course you\nmust then take extra care to ensure it doesn\u2019t dry out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting out<\/strong>: Lettuce transplants easily in cool weather. In hot dry weather\nyou must take precautions to ensure that the young plants are kept moist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: This is simple enough in cool weather, as the seeds germinate\neasily and the plants grow rapidly. You may run into problems when the soil\ngets warm, as the seed doesn\u2019t germinate very well above 75\u00b0F. In this\nsituation you can pre-germinate the seed in the fridge as described below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting in rows<\/strong>:\nLettuce is commonly sown in rows, with 1\u02dd between the plants and 5\u02dd between the\nrows. Plant at a depth of \u215b\u02dd in cool soil and up to \u00be\u02dd deep in warm soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting\nin beds<\/strong>: Lettuce can also be broadcast, spacing\nthe seeds 1 – 2\u02dd apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinning<\/strong>: When the plants are 2 – 4\u02dd high, they can be thinned to the\nrequired spacing. The thinnings can either be eaten or replanted elsewhere at\nthe final spacing. Transplanting will slow them down a little and can help to\nextend the harvest. Careful sowing of seed can help to reduce the need for thinning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raising transplants outside<\/strong>: Lettuce germinates readily in cool soil, so you can easily start\nyour transplants outdoors in a nursery bed. This is commonly done in mild\nclimates and saves on greenhouse or bed space. Just transplant the largest\nseedlings as space becomes available in the intensive beds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hot weather germination<\/strong>: In warm soil (75\u00b0F or above) lettuce seed will germinate poorly,\nif at all. You can get around this by pre-germinating the seed in the fridge on\na paper towel. You don\u2019t have to keep it in the fridge until it has germinated,\njust 5 days will be enough to break its dormancy. It will then germinate in\nwarm soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: This varies depending upon the type of lettuce and the variety\ngrown. Don\u2019t crowd the plants as they won\u2019t produce large heads and won\u2019t grow rapidly, which is important\nif you are to grow the best tasting lettuce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head\nLettuce<\/strong>: Plant this in\noffset rows: 15\u02dd – 12\u02dd – 10\u02dd apart, depending upon the variety and soil\nfertility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaf Lettuce<\/strong>: Plant this in offset rows: 12\u02dd – 8\u02dd – 6\u02dd apart, depending upon\nthe variety and soil fertility.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lettuce needs to grow quickly for best quality. This can only\noccur if you give the plants everything they need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeds<\/strong>: The young plants are vulnerable to weeds, so keep well weeded.\nTheir roots are shallow so be\ncareful with the hoe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water<\/strong>: Lettuce is largely composed of water and it responds to\nirrigation by giving a larger and better tasting harvest. If you think the\nplants might need water they probably do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good watering practices can help offset the negative effects of\nsummer heat, so it is important to keep the soil constantly moist. In hot\nweather this may mean watering every other day. At the same time don\u2019t over\nwater and try to keep soil from splashing on to the leaves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilization<\/strong>: If your soil is not as rich as it could be, give the plants a\nfeed of compost tea or liquid kelp about a month before harvest. This is\nespecially important with\nthe crisphead varieties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch<\/strong>: This helps to conserve soil moisture, keeps down weeds and helps\nto keep the plants clean. If you apply it early, it can also help to keep the\nsoil cooler in hot weather. On the negative side, it may also harbor lettuce loving slugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/strong>: Lettuce can fall victim to quite a few pests, but they are not\nusually too serious. These include tarnished plant bugs, thrips, aphids, leaf\nminers, flea beetles: These small creatures may be controlled by using row covers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slugs and\nsnails<\/strong>: These molluscs\nlove the tender young leaves and are the commonest problem you will face when\ngrowing lettuce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cutworms<\/strong>: These can be a real problem for young seedlings in spring. Some\ngardeners use individual cutworm collars of cardboard, newspaper (2 layers) or\naluminum foil). If you find plants laying on the ground, dig in the soil around\nthem and you can usually locate the small dark caterpillar that is responsible.\nIf you find it you can prevent it doing further damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mammals<\/strong>: Deer, rabbits and groundhogs can quickly devastate even a mature\nlettuce patch. A fence may be necessary if you have these problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disease<\/strong>: Lettuce may be afflicted by various blights, spots, rots, rusts,\nmosaics, mildews and yellows, but none are particularly significant when\ngrowing on a garden scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bolting<\/strong>: A mature lettuce will flower (bolt) when the day length gets up\nto 14 or 16 hours (the exact day length depends upon the variety), even if the\nweather is cool. Warm weather (above 75 – 80\u00b0F) frequently accompanies the long\ndays of midsummer and may hasten bolting, but it isn\u2019t the primary cause. Likewise crowding can\ncontribute to bolting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bolting will also occur when a plant reaches full size and has all\nthe resources it needs to flower. When the plant has enough large leaves they\nsignal the plant that it is ready to flower. The onset of bolting may be\nretarded somewhat by the frequent picking of single leaves, but it won\u2019t stop it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a plant starts to bolt, it turns bitter, the head elongates\nand the new leaves begin to take on an elongated shape. The plants can be quite\nbeautiful at this stage and if left alone the flower stalk will appear and\nultimately produce an abundance of seed. I often allow them to produce seed, as\nI use a lot for growing Salad mix<\/strong> and Micro-greens<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bitterness<\/strong>: This is a characteristic sign of imminent\nbolting, but it may also be caused by water stress or unusually warm weather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip burn<\/strong>: Burnt looking leaf tips may indicate a shortage of calcium, or\nnight temperatures over 65\u00b0F.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Lettuce is most nutritious if used fresh and doesn\u2019t keep well,\nso it\u2019s best to harvest it right before a meal. When grown for sale they should be harvested in the cool\nof early morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can start harvesting leaf lettuce only a few weeks after\nplanting, as soon as there are enough leaves to be useful. Head lettuce is\nharvested when the heads are firm, or at least have formed. There is no reason to wait for them to reach full maturity, as they will bolt soon\nafterwards. It is always better to harvest too early than too late. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: I commonly gather individual leaves as I need them for salads.\nThis works out well, so long as you leave enough on the plant for it to\nrecover. Picking individual leaves may even slow down bolting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally the whole lettuce is cut off at\nthe base. If you leave a few leaves on the stem, rather than cutting at actual\nground level, the head will be cleaner. The stem remaining in the ground may\nthen continue to grow and sprout new leaves. It may even grow some little lettuces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/strong>: Leaf lettuce has thin leaves and won\u2019t keep for much more than a\nweek in a plastic bag in the fridge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crisphead lettuce has stiff, fleshy leaves and keeps very well, in\nfact that is why it is so popular with commercial growers. It will keep for\nseveral weeks in a plastic bag in a refrigerator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other types are somewhere in between. Don\u2019t wash any lettuce\nuntil you are going to\nuse it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: It is fairly easy to save lettuce seed and if you save it from\nyour best plants, you can develop better strains than you can buy (and have\nhigher quality seed). The plants are mostly self-pollinated, though there may\nbe some cross-pollination from insects. It is recommended that varieties be\nseparated by 25 ft to keep them pure, which is simple enough. It will also cross-pollinate\nwith wild lettuce (several Lactuca<\/em> species) so remove any you see within\n200 ft of your flowering plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I often save lettuce seed with no thought for purity, as I want it\nin volume for growing cut and come again lettuce. I don\u2019t really care if the\nvariety is somewhat mixed up (in fact I probably wouldn\u2019t even notice if it was). \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I often gather seed from plants that have bolted, but you shouldn\u2019t\ngather it from the first plants to bolt. Early flowering is not a trait you want to perpetuate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head lettuce can present a problem when it comes to seed saving.\nThe head may be so dense that the flower stalk may not be able to get out. If\nthis is the case, you may have to cut an X in the top of the head, to enable\nthe flower stem to emerge (as you would with a cabbage). If the flower stem is\nvery big you may have to stake it to prevent it from falling over when it gets loaded with seed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The yellow flowers are followed, 2 to 3 weeks later, by fuzzy\ndandelion-like seed heads. Gather the seed as it ripens by holding a paper bag\nover the head and shaking (I really dislike the smell the plants leave on your\nhands when doing this). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seed ripens sequentially, so you must collect it every few\ndays to get all the ripe seed. Keep on collecting until you have all the seed\nyou need, or until it is blown away by the wind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively you can cut the entire head when about 50% of the\nseed has ripened and dry it in a paper grocery bag. Clean the seed and remove\nthe fuzz, then dry and store\nit in a cool place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newly harvested seed usually won\u2019t germinate for a couple of months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lettuce mosaic virus can be seed borne so watch out for it if you\nsave your own seed, or swap seed with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual\ngrowing ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intercrop<\/strong>: Lettuce is a compact and fast growing plant, perfect for\nintercropping between a slower maturing crop. It will be out of the ground\nbefore the other crop needs the space. This works well with slow growing crops\nsuch as parsnip peppers or tomato. If you have a ready supply of transplants,\nyou can fit a few lettuces into any small vacant space that appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cut and come again<\/strong>: If lettuce plants are packed very closely together, the plants don\u2019t produce a head at all, they just produce an abundance of single leaves, the perfect size for using in salads. This gives you a completely different way to grow lettuce, either alone or in a salad mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seed is broadcast directly on to the bed, so there is a seed\nroughly every \u00bd\u02dd. You may want to cover the seeds with a very light covering of soil, to stop it\ndrying out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start harvesting when the leaves are 2 – 3\u02dd tall, leaving at least\nan inch of stem on the plant when cutting, so that it can regenerate. I like to\nmake a small sowing every 3 weeks to maintain a steady supply of leaves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When grown in this way lettuce needs only about half the space it\nwould for growing heads. I like this method so much, I stopped growing individual lettuce for a\nwhile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See Salad Mix<\/strong> for more on growing salad greens at\nclose spacing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multi-planting<\/strong>: Leaf lettuce can also be multi-planted. Sow 2 or 3 seeds in each\nblock or plug tray and allow them all to grow to maturity. Plant the clusters out 12\u02dd apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Containers<\/strong>: Lettuce does quite well in containers, so long as they contain a\nfertile soil mix and you keep them watered. Because containers are so portable\nyou can move the plants to cooler locations in warm weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hot weather growing<\/strong>: The best way to grow summer lettuce is as a cut and come again\ncrop. Use a heat tolerant variety and grow it in the shade (use shade netting\nor interplant under taller plants). Apply cold water daily to keep the soil\nmoist and cool. Cut the leaves frequently to make the most of the harvest and\nto slow down bolting. Of course you should also use a heat tolerant variety\n(see below for a few of these).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteers<\/strong>: If you allow lettuce to flower it will often self-sow. You can\naid this process by scattering some of the abundantly produced seed in suitable\nplaces. In spring you can often simply transplant these seedlings to where you\nwant them. If they are of different varieties, they can give quite an extended harvest period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four types of lettuce are commonly grown, looseleaf, crisphead,\nbutterhead and semi-heads (romaines). There is a lot of variation within these\ntypes, with many cultivars bred for specific purposes. Some are especially good\nfor a specific season, some are for growing under glass and some have even been\nbred for container growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are now a huge number of lettuce varieties available, so I\u2019m\njust going to mention a few from each type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looseleaf\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lactuca sativa <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the easiest to grow, the most tolerant of heat or cold,\nthe fastest to mature and the most nutritious. It comes in various colors and\nsizes and usually matures in 40 – 50 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oakleaf<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black\nSeeded Simpson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deer\nTongue <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salad\nBowl <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red\nSails <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bronze\narrow<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flame\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunset<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Butterhead\n\/ Bibbs <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lactuca<\/em> sativa <\/em>var capitata<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These have soft, loosely packed heads and very good flavor. They\nare fairly easy to grow and tolerate some heat. These mature in anywhere from\n65 – 80 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buttercrunch\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom\nThumb <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merveille de Quatre Saisons <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romaine\n(Cos) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lactuca<\/em> sativa <\/em>var longifolia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These produce heads of tender green leaves with crisp midribs.\nThey are better flavored and more heat tolerant than most other lettuce. They\nmature at around 70 – 85 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little\nGem <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paris\nGreen Cos <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valmaine\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter Density<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crisphead\n\/ Iceberg <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lactuca.sativa <\/em>var capitata.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These have dense heads of crisp leaves and need a long period of\ncool weather for best growth. Head lettuce is the most difficult to grow, the\nslowest, the most demanding and the least nutritious. It is very popular\nhowever, because of its crisp and crunchy texture. It is prized by industrial\nagriculture for its ability to survive handling, shipping and sitting on\nsupermarket shelves. These take the longest time to mature, anywhere from 80 –\n95 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crispino\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great\nLakes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iceberg<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Webbs Wonderful<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heat\ntolerant lettuce<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are quite a few of these when you\nstart looking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black\nSeeded Simpson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deer\nTongue<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green\nStar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jericho<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lollo\nRossa,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oakleaf\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merveille\nde Quatre Saisons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red\nSails<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Webbs Wonderful<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cold\ntolerant lettuce<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lettuce is quite a hardy crop all\naround, but some varieties are more hardy than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arctic\nKing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown\nDutch Winter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merveille\nde Quatre Saisons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red\nOakleaf<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rouge\nd\u2019Hiver<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valdor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valmaine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter\nDensity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to use lettuce raw in salads and sandwiches, but it has\nother uses as well. It has been used as a potherb, stir fried, added to soups\nand used as wrapping for other foods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lactuca sativa Introduction: Lettuce is probably descended from Lactuca serriola and originated somewhere around the Mediterranean or Near East. Some types have been grown since the time of the ancient … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[241],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leaf-veg","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Lettuce.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2114"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2116,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114\/revisions\/2116"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}