Italienischer Lettuce Seedlings
Certified Organic
Lactuca sativa
Giant heads of sweet, crispy, delicious oak/romaine leaves.
So many of our favorite garden varieties are named after other nations: Polish tomatoes, Hungarian peppers, watermelons from Saskatchewan. When we talk about locally-grown food, we must remember that most seed has traveled thousands of miles and back again before landing in our gardens. The name of this exquisite lettuce—which is huge, sweet, and slow to bolt—means “Italian” in German: proof that gardens everywhere are cosmopolitan gathering spots of plants from around the globe.
Italienischer boasts stellar performance, great flavor, and huge proportions. This is our favorite "thin and eat" variety: the heads get so large that we harvest every other when they are spaced 10" apart to let the remaining ones reach their pull potential.
This product, though Certified Organic in the United States, is not certified to Canadian Organic standards.
$5.49
| Unit | Price | Quantity | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-pack of seedlings | $5.49 | Sold out for 2024 preorders. |
Sow indoors beginning 8-10 weeks before last frost, or direct sow beginning about 4 weeks before last frost. Harvest late spring and summer sowings promptly to beat bolting. Continue sowing until about 2 weeks before first fall frost. Lettuce likes steady (but not excessive) moisture and can become prematurely bitter during dry spells; keep irrigated for best-tasting leaves.
| Days to Germination | 5-10 days |
|---|---|
| Days to Maturity | 55 days |
| Planting Depth | ½ inch |
| Height at Maturity | 12" |
| Sun Preference | Full to Little Sun |
Artwork by Jeanne Benson. Appliqu̮̩ and quilt artist Jeanne Benson creates "recipe quilts" that depict a dish's ingredients. Here, she has created a German-Italian salad out of dyed fabrics, which includes Italienischer Lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and nasturtium blossoms.