Quick facts:
- Heirloom
- Fully red heading lettuce
- Rare variety
Lactuca sativa
Red butterhead. All leaves, including the heads, are heavily blushed with dark red. We were pleased with the red centers, as those tend to be blanched light green from lack of light exposure. Grows a small but fully-developed head, so its perfect for a family dinner without having leftover. Blistered, wavy leaves. Good flavor with little bitterness. Heads reached 5" tall and 9-12" wide. Moderately bolt resistant. Black seed.
A bit of its story: We acquired this variety from the Seed Savers Exchange yearbook. It was given to the Seed Savers Exchange by Cathy Irvine of Dysart, IA who received this variety from Anna Ortman of Dysalrt. Anna shared that her family's favorite way to eat it is "the old fashioned way with a dash of salt, vinegar sugar & 1/2 & 1/2 cream." We haven't tried that yet...
See more about Anna and a photo here.
How to grow it:
|
Germ Temp |
Indoor Start |
Germ Days |
Frost Tolerant |
Sun |
Seed Depth |
Plant/Row Spacing |
|
60-75 |
3-5 w. |
6-14 d. |
Light |
Shade to Full |
1/16” |
6”/10” |
| Direct sow up to 4 weeks before the average last frost. Harvest leaves young by cutting the whole plant. Plant successively every two weeks to keep you in young greens, or give them more space to mature and harvest the whole plant. |
Seed specs: Packet size~ 200 min.
