Tendita is a compact, crunchy mini cabbage-type lettuce that matures in just 45 days from transplants, delivering snappy, stackable heads perfect for small-space gardeners and quick succession plantings. This open-pollinated variety thrives in cool weather between 60, 65°F and tolerates frost, making it reliable for spring and fall harvests across most growing regions. Its dense, miniature form and crisp texture come through in every bite, earned through generations of breeding for consistent quality.
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Tendita's real strength is its compact growth habit combined with exceptional crunchiness and the ability to stack neatly, whether you're harvesting full heads or cutting individual leaves for salad mixes. It germinates reliably in cool soil (60, 70°F) and reaches maturity in less than seven weeks, which means you can succession plant every two to three weeks for a continuous supply throughout the season. The frost tolerance is no accident; this variety was bred to handle the unpredictability of shoulder-season gardening, letting you plant earlier and harvest later than heat-loving lettuces.
Tendita shines as a fresh salad green, where its crisp, snackable texture and compact size make individual heads or leaves perfect for plating whole or tearing into mixed greens. The stackable form also suits commercial and home processing into pre-packaged salad mixes, especially for growers looking to extend their harvest into cooler months when other lettuces bolt.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start Tendita indoors 4, 6 weeks before your spring transplant date. Sow seeds into moist seed-starting mix, maintaining soil temperatures between 60, 70°F for best germination. Keep seedlings under consistent light and move them to a cool location (not above 70°F) once sprouted to prevent stretching. Harden off transplants for 7, 10 days before moving to the garden.
Transplant seedlings outdoors once they have 2, 3 true leaves and soil temperatures have warmed to at least 50°F. Tendita is frost-tolerant, so early spring planting is safe once soil is workable. Space plants 6, 8 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart. Water gently after transplanting and keep soil consistently moist for the first two weeks.
Direct sow Tendita seeds in soil worked to a fine tilth, planting every two to three weeks for continuous supply. Sow seeds shallowly and keep the seedbed moist until germination (7, 10 days at 60, 70°F). Thin seedlings to 6, 8 inches apart once they develop true leaves.
Tendita reaches full maturity 45 days after transplanting, though you can harvest individual leaves earlier for salad mix. Cut full heads at soil level once they feel firm and dense to the touch, typically when heads are 4, 6 inches across. For continuous harvests, pick outer leaves regularly and allow the center to continue growing. Morning harvest, just after watering, yields the crispest texture.
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