A Melange of Lettuces

Though the calendar says spring arrived mid-March, it’s hard to believe it here in northern New England this year. I gaze out my window at snow piled 5 feet deep and wonder if green grass and flowers will ever show themselves.

Despite the unseasonable cold and snow, April’s the month to start most plants from seed for May and June plantings. One of the first crops to go out into the garden is lettuces. Seems like lettuces mature all at once, so to have a longer season, I always start some plants indoors.

If you page through the seed catalogs you will find a mind-boggling offering of lettuce varieties. Not all are suitable for northern New England gardens. I live in constant pursuit of the perfect head lettuce for my cold climate. Many types of head lettuce just take too long to mature and will bolt in the sudden heat of New England summers, long before setting heads.

Two varieties of head lettuces suitable to northern New England are “Summertime” and “Tom Thumb”. “Summertime”, a crisphead type, forms good-sized loose heads and rarely bolts or turns bitter. “Tom Thumb”, an English heirloom butterhead lettuce, forms small tight heads perfect for individual salads. Grow this mighty midget 2-4/sq. ft.

Some leaf and romaine varieties are also subject to bolting. Ones that thrive in our cold wet springs become tough and bitter in the swelter of July. One variety of bibb lettuce that performs well from spring to fall is “Merveille de Quatre Saisons” or “Four Seasons” http://www.superseeds.com. As the name implies it does well all season long without turning bitter or bolting. Crisp and sweet, the ruffled light green leaves are edged with delicate rose. This lettuce is so lovely I grew it in my flower garden last year.

An outstanding leaf lettuce, “New Red Fire”, is both early (45 days) and slow to bolt. This is an excellent leaf lettuce for succession planting. Another red leaf lettuce, both early and slow to bolt is “Redina”. “Plato II”, a romaine type, matures early (53 days) and rarely turns bitter if planted late.

To start lettuce seeds indoors, fill 6-cell flats with any good, fine-grained, moist potting soil. Plant 1-2 seeds, ¼ inch deep, in each cell. Cover seeds with potting soil and gently firm soil around them. Add more water by bottom watering, if needed.

Seeds must be moist to germinate so to keep moisture in, you may want to slip each flat into a clear plastic bag. Close the bag with a twist tie. This creates a mini-greenhouse. I recycle the bags from the produce section of the supermarket for this use. Once the seeds have sprouted, remove the bags.

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