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Leaf lettuce
General information
- Scientific Name: Lactuca sativa
- Family: Asteraceae
- Cool season
- Planting Window:
- Spring: mid-March to late April
- Fall: early August to mid-September
- pH = 6.0-7.0
- Planting Depth: 1/8-1/4 inch, direct sow in soil
- MPD: 5 inches (in both directions)
- Easy to grow from seed!
View factsheet as PDF
Pests and diseases
- Slugs (beer saloon, diatomaceaous earth)
- Rabbits - removable rabbit wire cages
- Cutworms - toothpicks around trunk
Successful cultivars
- Cultivars:
- Black Seeded Simpson (45 days)
- Red Salad Bowl (50 days)
- Buttercrunch (65 days)
- Little Gem (45 days) - compact Romaine type
- Parris Island Romaine (55 days)
- Giant Caesar Romaine (70 days)
- Harvest any time up to maturity (mature at 8-12 in.)
- Cut two inches above soil, recut repeatedly
- You can eat the thinnings!
This publication was created by Master Gardener Rick Judd and designed by Extension Scholar Taylor Trent. Photos courtesy of Rick Judd.
UD Cooperative Extension
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In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, Cooperative Extension is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.