VegetableLettuce
Royal Oakleaf Lettuce
Royal Oakleaf Lettuce is an improved oakleaf variety bred for dependability in challenging conditions. Its dark green, deeply lobed leaves form large, uniform rosettes that resist bolting and turning bitter, making it one of the most reliable heat-tolerant lettuces for spring through fall harvesting. Ready to pick in 40 to 50 days, it grows to 5 to 10 inches tall and thrives in zones 2 through 10, offering both individual leaf harvests and full-head cuts from the same plant.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
2-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Consistent Moisture
Growth Stats
10 in
Height
10 in
Width
Spacing
8
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
—
Zones
2-10
Size
10in H x 10in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
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Highlights
Dark green, glossy leaves with distinctive oak-shaped lobes set this variety apart from everyday lettuces. It resists bolting and bitterness far better than standard oakleaf types, meaning you can harvest longer into warm weather without the plant turning bitter or going to seed prematurely. The compact rosette form and quick maturity make it equally at home in a small apartment garden or a market farmer's field, and its willingness to regrow after harvest means one planting can feed you for weeks.
Common Uses
Royal Oakleaf Lettuce serves as fresh salad greens, prized for its tender texture and mild flavor. The individual lobed leaves work beautifully in mixed green salads where their shape adds visual interest, or you can harvest the entire rosette as a head lettuce. Its non-bitter character makes it especially suited to simple preparations where the lettuce itself is the star, such as dressed green salads or as a base for composed plates.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow at the depth and temperature specified below, then transplant seedlings once they develop true leaves. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days before planting in the garden.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors once soil temperatures reach 60°F or warmer and after hardening off. Space plants 8 inches apart with 12 inches between rows. Transplant both spring seedlings (about 4 weeks before last frost) and fall sowings (up to 2 weeks before first frost) to ensure continuous harvests.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds outdoors beginning about 4 weeks before your last spring frost, and continue sowing every 2 to 3 weeks through midsummer for staggered harvests. Sow again in late summer for fall crops, stopping about 2 weeks before your first fall frost. Direct seeding gives you plants ready to harvest in the same timeframe as transplants.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting individual leaves 40 to 50 days after sowing once they reach full size and the rosette is well-formed. Pinch or cut outer leaves from the base, allowing the plant to continue producing new leaves from the center for ongoing harvests. Alternatively, cut the entire head at the base with a knife when the rosette reaches full size. This cut-and-come-again approach extends your harvest window significantly, sometimes producing for several weeks from a single planting.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Lactuca sativa
Family
Asteraceae
Genus
Lactuca
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)VI (I)CAN (W)