Ilema is a dark green Lollo lettuce that brings crisp, tender leaves to your cool-season garden in just 55 days from transplant. This open-pollinated variety thrives in the conditions most gardeners can provide: it germinates best between 60-70°F and grows strongest at 60-65°F, making it naturally suited to spring and fall harvests. Its compact growth habit and frost tolerance mean you can plant it as soon as your soil is workable, and it will keep producing even as temperatures dip. The dense, ruffled Lollo form makes it as visually appealing in the garden as it is on the plate.
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Moderate
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Dark green, ruffled leaves emerge in a compact, manageable form that's ready to harvest in under two months. Ilema germinates and grows best in cool weather between 60-70°F, so it thrives in the spring and fall windows when many gardeners struggle to grow lettuce. Its frost tolerance extends your harvest season on both ends, and the Lollo type holds its shape beautifully whether you're harvesting individual leaves or taking whole heads.
Ilema serves as a salad green, harvested either as individual outer leaves for a continuous supply or as complete heads when mature. The dark green, ruffled Lollo leaves work well in mixed salad bowls, adding visual texture and crisp structure. It can be harvested at any stage from baby leaf to full maturity, giving you flexibility in how you use it in the kitchen.
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Start Ilema seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before your planned transplant date. Maintain soil temperatures between 60-70°F for best germination, keeping in mind that seeds germinate most reliably below 70°F. Provide bright light once seedlings emerge to prevent leggy growth.
Transplant Ilema into the garden as soon as soil can be worked in spring, or in late summer for a fall crop. The variety is frost-tolerant, so you can plant earlier than you might with other lettuce types. Space plants according to the mature size of the variety; average seed count is 16,000 plants per ounce. Harden off seedlings gradually over 7-10 days before planting to acclimate them to outdoor conditions.
Direct sow Ilema seeds outdoors in early spring or late summer. Press seeds into moist soil; they need light to germinate and should not be covered deeply. Keep soil consistently moist until seedlings establish.
Harvest Ilema at 55 days from transplanting when the head reaches desired size. You can pick individual outer leaves as they mature for a continuous supply, or wait and harvest the entire head when it feels firm to gentle pressure. For longest storage and quality, harvest in the early morning when leaves are crisp and cool. The compact growth habit makes it easy to work with at harvest time.
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