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Vegetable Gardening

Crunchy leaf lettuce?

14 years ago

I'm looking for a crunchy leaf lettuce. DH really likes the crisp texture of iceberg but we don't have much success with it here. Leaf lettuces seem to be a bit too "limp" for his taste. Any suggestions? I'd like to plant some soon for a fall garden.

Sandy

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Comments (8)

cmdrzog
14 years ago
The crispest lettuce I have found are the batavian types, and of those the one in the link below is particularly good.
Even though it will head it is still very very good at the 1/2 grown stage. Succession planting works better than cutting leaves for me.
The romaine lettuces are also crisp but are more troubled by bugs and bolting.

Here is a link that might be useful: crisp lettuce
nygardener
14 years ago
I've found that black-seeded Simpson, a common variety (which is also fairly bolt-resistant), is pretty crunchy as lettuces go.
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Sounds like you're on your way to having fresh salad ingredients even this fall. Lettuce grows fast as long as you plant in rich soil & water daily in the hot weather. You might need to shade it a bit now. Our daughter told me yesterday she's figured she & hubby have saved about $60 just in lettuce greens from growing their own this summer. First time gardens can be productive! Your original question was about how to have enough to keep you in salads... One way to plant enough for harvest for your family of 5 is to plant each week what you'd eat each week. Lettuces can be cut & grow again for up to 3 cuttings or you can pick the outer leaves & let the centers grow. I prefer to plant transplants as somehow direct sowing lettuce doesn't work as well for me. For varieties: Romaines stay crunchy. Leaf lettuces are easy to cut & come again harvest. Kids will eat what they grow, so you're off to a great start with them. Doesn't the book say one 4x4 box per person? Larger or more boxes for enough for canning, freezing or drying. I encourage gardeners to start what they can care for planting, watering, weeding, & harvesting. If they can't do a box per person the 1st year. I can't remember if mulch is mentioned in the book, but I have good results with mulching in the boxes using dried grass clippings from grass w/o weed & feed. It keeps the soil moist & decomposes adding nutrients. The grass clippings dry quickly on a tarp just stir with a stick or plastic rake throughout the day. Cover by folding the tarp over at night if not dry yet & dry another day. I've taken a week or more sometimes to dry it & it still works once dry even if it gets a bit sour smelling. Hope that helps! Corrine
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anney
14 years ago
gardener_sandy

I've found that crisp lettuce depends almost entirely on the weather. When the weather is cool and rainy, everything else may go to pot, but lettuce thrives!

I don't think it's leaf lettuces that are the problem. One of the crispest crunchiest lettuces I grow is Green Ice, a pale green long-leaf crinkled edge leaf-lettuce that's just as crisp as icebergs you get in the store. And yes, the Romaines, particularly the Batavians, are also very crunchy. Of those, I grow Merlot and Jericho in the spring. They're supposed to last pretty well in hot weather but we always eat them up before that happens! I'll grow more lettuce after the weather cools off -- with all the tomatoes and cukes and zucchinis we have, we don't crave salads as much as when they aren't available.

Maybe the cobb lettuces that have thicker more buttery leaves are not as crisp, though they're more crisp than leaf-lettuce bought at the market.

Still, I think the weather has everything to do with how crisp lettuce is when mature.
jimster
14 years ago
I also recommend a Batavian type. Nevada forms big loose heads and holds in the garden for a long time without bolting. It has heavy, crunchy substance.

Jim
barbe_wa
14 years ago
Have you tried Summertime? It's not a leaf lettuce, but forms a loose, crisp head for us.
holly-2006
14 years ago
I second Summertime. I grew 5 heads this year and they all came up nicely and were crispy.
marlingardener
14 years ago
Sandy,
I second the vote for Black Seeded Simpson--it is very reliable, slow to bolt and holds well. We also like Oakleaf and the red leaf lettuces, Red Sails comes to mind.
Part of the "crunchiness" of leaf lettuce depends on when it is harvested. I get out first thing in the morning and cut what I want to use for dinner, take it in and wash it, then put it in a plastic bag with a paper towel to absorb the excess moisture and refrigerate it. Lettuce is one of the few crops that it's okay to harvest when dewy!
gardener_sandy
Original Author
14 years ago
That was fast! Thanks for all the responses. I'll probably try several varieties this fall based on your suggestions. I don't usually grow lettuce but my garden space has expanded and I want to fill up some of the empty spots over the next couple of months. It should be interesting to experiment with the different ones.

Sandy

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