Black Hawk Lettuce is a loose-leaf variety that reaches harvest in just 55 days, making it one of the quicker lettuces to bring to the table. This cultivar thrives in full sun with moderate water and prefers a slightly acidic to neutral soil between pH 6.0 and 7.0. With its compact spacing needs of just 1 inch between plants and 16 inches between rows, it's remarkably efficient for small gardens or succession planting.
Full Sun
Moderate
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Moderate
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Black Hawk Lettuce delivers a fast turnaround from seed to salad, ready in 55 days with minimal fuss. Its loose-leaf structure makes it ideal for harvesting individual leaves without sacrificing the entire plant, allowing you to extend your harvest window considerably. The tight spacing requirements mean you can grow substantially more plants in a given area compared to head lettuces, making this variety particularly rewarding for gardeners working with limited space.
This loose-leaf lettuce is primarily grown for fresh salads and culinary use. The individual leaf structure makes it particularly suited to harvesting outer leaves while allowing the plant to continue producing new growth from the center, extending your harvest across multiple pickings rather than requiring a single cutting.
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Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your anticipated transplant date.
Transplant seedlings outdoors once they've developed several true leaves. Thin loose-leaf types to 10 to 14 inches apart once they've established themselves.
Direct sow seeds, covering with row cover immediately after sowing to improve germination rates and prevent soil crusting.
Begin harvesting individual outer leaves once the plant has filled out, allowing the inner leaves to continue growing and the plant to produce additional harvests over time. This selective leaf-picking method extends your season considerably compared to cutting the entire head at once. Monitor plants daily during warm weather, as lettuce eventually becomes bitter as it begins to bolt, so timely harvesting ensures the best quality. You can also remove the entire plant by cutting it about 1 inch above the soil line, which may produce additional smaller harvests from the remaining stem.
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