Latin name: Lactuca sativa
🌱 Days to Sprout: 7-21
😋 Plant food: after true leaves
✂️ Thin to: 1 plant per yCube
🍅 Days to Maturity: 45
💡 Light Zone: Moderate
📏 Plant Size: <1 ft
💚 Care Level: Beginner
Origin
Lettuce is thought to have originated in the Middle East, with the earliest depictions of it appearing in Egypt around 2700 BC. Ancient Egyptians bred lettuce plants to be less bitter than their wild counterparts, and used oil from wild lettuces for a variety of applications, including mummification.
Qualities
This variety has soft, wrapping leaves with tons of bright flavor. Lettuces are particularly high in vitamin A, and Potassium, which supports blood pressure, cardiovascular health, bone strength, and muscle strength.
Use
Butterhead lettuce is especially great as a base for green salads and makes a nutritious addition to sandwiches and wraps.
Care & Harvest
💡Temperature: Lettuce prefers cooler temperatures (60-70°F). If placed in higher temperatures, it can turn bitter and bolt.
✂️ Pruning: Check the roots monthly and trim any that are brown or extending past the yPod.
🥬 Harvest: For ongoing harvest, snip the outer leaves just above the base of the plant once they reach 4 inches tall to let the inner leaves continue to grow. Leave 1/3 of the plant if you want it to keep growing. To harvest the full head, wait until it reaches maturity, then harvest from the base.
Harvest To Plate Recipe
Butterhead Lettuce & Spring Vegetable Salad
Photo / Recipe Source: Martha Stewart
Ingredients
- 5 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 2 heads Butterhead Lettuce, washed and dried
- 6 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips
- 2 ounces alfalfa sprouts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper.
- Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces and add to bowl along with radishes and carrots. Toss; season with salt and pepper.
- Divide salad equally among four plates and top each with sprouts. Serve immediately.
Our Plant Health & Nutrition Team thoroughly tests each variety we offer to bring you the most flavorful and high-quality plants. We regularly rotate our plant portfolio, so please note, availability varies.