Lactuca sativa

All things lettuce. Whatever lettuce issues and discoveries I make, I will place them here. Currently, I am growing out a dozen types of lettuce; they all seem to be behaving as predicted.

Reine des Glaces (ice queen - 62 days)

A very attractive head lettuce with pointy tips. Almost too good to eat, fun just looking at them growing together. Plant each start at one foot spacings; by time the grass has any chance to sprout in the dirt, the lettuce has overtaken the sunlight. You literally do not need to pull weeds with this lettuce.

Red Sails (45 days)

Loose leaf lettuce with standing read and light green rumpled leaves.

Ed Hume seed Company, Seed packet information.

Ruby (47 days)

"Bright red, finely crinkled leaves," says the seed packet. Looking forward to this lettuce, I enjoy the red stuff.

Nevada (55 days)

Batavian or summer crisp lettuce. Popular in Europe, batavian types are not common in the U.S. They have a crispy texture and sweet juicy flavor.

Lake Valley Seed, Seed packet information. Lakevalleyseed.com

Red Romaine - version 2(65 days)

The colors on this seed packet make this red romaine look slightly different than the red romaine I grew last year. There are in fact many types of red romaine. One aspect to lettuce is its ability to mutate. Having only done one year of tests on lettuce, I am beginning to feel that lettuce responds very well to selection.

Red Romaine version 1

Only one example survived from the seed packet I grew them from, and its size was shorter than the Petite Rouge; yet the seed produced off this one plant was huge. Whatever this version lacks in size it makes up for with quantity of seed.

Petite Rouge

Not very petite at all, bought these starts at a local garden store and they grew into large heads of red romaine lettuce. Collected seed from 4 I liked the best, ended up with half a bag; more seed than I will ever use. It is kind of a shame to throw it away, but there isn't really any need for extra seed year after year, backing up, clogging box after box. I'll need to do some research as to how many years is a reasonble length of time before you can toss the supply.

Green Romaine

A bit on the small side, and the one plant I selected from didn't produce a huge amount of seed; although it produce enough. Have one small container growing this year, enough for a test patch.

Skorokhod

Another awesome lettuce. Has tinges of pink along its fluffy, frilly leaves. It is a loose leaf type, soft supple leaves that almost wilt under salad dressing, yet it is a very fine and colorful lettuce.

Great lakes Iceburg

I believe the history of this lettuce is its ability to store well in shipping containers, beyond that, I haven't had much success growing it to look like the stuff I find at the store. I end up with half sized heads, but mix in some Petite Rouge and you have an awesome salad.

Unknown leaf lettuce

One seed got mixed in with a packet of Reine des Glaces and stood out. This leaf lettuce got very large, though I have no idea of its flavor as I was growing it to seed. The one example produced a huge amount of black seed. I am currently growing out quit a bit; seems to be standing up well to the watering and sunlight.

Grand Rapids

Seed packet claims it is a slower to bolt curly leaf variety. I have no idea. I gre out some last year, but never tasted it.

Butter Crunch

Grew this out in two places last year, one on the flat grownd, the other in a raised bed. The one plant in the raised bed got huge, towering, with a reasonable amount of seed. The butter crunch on the flat earth got lost; it wasn't growing that well before it died. Leads me to think that lettuce likes well drained warm soil.

Red Oak leaf

Have no idea what to make of this stuff or even if it is a Lactuca sativa. Growing out a test patch, see what happens.

Lollo Rossa

Again, have no idea what to make of this stuff, don't think I am even growing any this year.