Starfighter Lettuce Seed

Scientific name

Lactuca sativa

Climate

Lettuce is a hardy crop for cool weather and can go in as soon as the ground can be worked in spring. It grows best at 60–65°F (16–18°C) and sprouts most reliably below 70°F (21°C), so for summer crops choose varieties bred to cope with heat.

Heat dormancy

Seed exposed to high temperatures can go dormant and refuse to germinate. Aim for soil at 60–68°F (16–20°C). Primed, pelleted seed germinates across a wider temperature range and gets around much of this problem.

Days to maturity

Counted from transplanting in spring or other cool weather. Take off 10–14 days for transplants set out in late spring or early summer, and add roughly 14 days if you sow directly.

Transplants for heads

Sow in 128-cell trays 3–4 weeks before planting out and barely cover the seed with vermiculite or fine mix. In warm weather, shade and mist the trays so they stay below 75°F (25°C) while germinating. Seedlings hardened off for at least 3–5 days can ride out frosts down to about 20°F (-6°C). Set iceberg, romaine and butterhead types 10–12" apart in rows 15–18" apart, other types 8–10" apart in rows 12–18" apart, and mini heads as close as 6" on a grid.

Direct sowing for baby leaf

Seed sprouts in soil as cool as 40°F (4°C) but often fails above 75°F (24°C). Sow 4–6 seeds per inch in rows at least 2" apart, cover with about 1/8" of soil and firm lightly. Water dry soil before and after sowing to keep it cool and evenly moist.

Seeding rate

Baby leaf at 60 seeds per foot: about 1,000 seeds per 16', 1 oz. per 400' and 1 lb. per 6,400'.

Succession

Sow every 2–3 weeks for a steady supply of heads or salad leaves.

Harvest

Heads: cut at the base and leave a few wrapper leaves to protect them in handling. Cutting every other plant lets the rest keep growing and stretches the harvest. Pack heads with the cut ends facing out, rinse off the milky sap and chill right away to avoid browning and wilting. Baby leaf: cut about 1" above the growing point once leaves are 3–4" long, and clear away trimmings so the regrowth stays clean.

Storage

Hold at 35–40°F (1–4°C) in high humidity without standing water. Heads keep about 14–20 days; delicate butterhead and oakleaf types keep less, and slow-grown cool-weather lettuce keeps longer. In cold weather, single-cut heads can be held in the cooler for up to two weeks and cut into salad mix as needed.

MT0-30 tested seed

Seed marked MT0-30 has been tested for lettuce mosaic virus, with none found in a sample of at least 30,000 seeds.

Transplants per ounce

About 16,000 plants per oz. of seed.

Packet

500 seeds.

Seeds per oz.

About 25,500 on average.