About
An attractive red lettuce, a leafy biennial usually grown as an annual. The outer leaves can be harvested as a cut-and-come-again lettuce keeping the heart intact to produce more, or it can be left to mature and harvested as a whole lettuce, great for adding colour to your salad bowl. It produces a lose head of dark red crinkled frilly leaves, from spring to autumn according to sowing date.
About the genus
Lactuca can be annuals, biennials, perennials or shrubs, with alternate leaves, milky white sap and daisy-like flowers in white, yellow or blue. The genus includes a wide range of wild plants, as well as species cultivated for their edible leaves (lettuce)
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHNeutral, Alkaline, Acid
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectEast-facing, South-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH2
Plant details
Plant typeHerbs - Culinary
HabitClump forming
FoliageDeciduous
Height0.1-0.5 metres
Spread0.1-0.5 metres
Time to full height1 year
Suggested usesPatio and container plants
Care notes
CultivationGrow in full sun on moisture-retentive soil. Use cloches or biodegradable horticultural fleece to protect early and late crops. See Lettuce (Grow your own)
PruningNo pruning required
PropagationPropagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to lettuce root aphid, slugs and snails
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to grey moulds and lettuce downy mildew