Italienischer lettuce tells the beautiful story of how gardens connect cultures across continents. This German-named variety meaning 'Italian' produces huge, sweet heads that reach 12 inches tall in just 55 days. Known for its stellar performance and slow-bolting nature, it's the kind of lettuce that grows so impressively large you'll need to harvest every other plant to give the remaining ones space to reach their full magnificent potential.
8
Full Sun
Moderate
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12in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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This variety stands out for its exceptional size and sweetness, earning its reputation as a top 'thin and eat' lettuce where heads grow so large they require strategic harvesting. The name itself reflects gardening's global heritage, proving that our local plots are actually cosmopolitan gathering spots of plants from around the world. Its slow-bolting nature and stellar performance make it reliable for extended harvests, while its huge proportions and great flavor set it apart from typical lettuce varieties.
This lettuce excels as a 'thin and eat' variety, where gardeners can harvest individual leaves from the enormous heads or cut entire plants for substantial salads. Its sweet flavor and large proportions make it ideal for feeding families or providing generous portions for fresh eating. The huge heads provide plenty of tender leaves for extended harvesting, making it particularly valuable for gardeners wanting substantial yields from their lettuce patch.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost date, or begin transplants 4-6 weeks before anticipated transplant date for succession planting.
Transplant outdoors after hardening off, spacing plants 8 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart to accommodate the variety's large mature size.
Direct sow beginning about 4 weeks before last frost date and continue sowing every 2-3 weeks until about 2 weeks before first fall frost for extended harvest.
Harvest individual outer leaves from the outside of the plant, allowing inner leaves to continue growing for extended production. The variety can also be cut about 1 inch above soil level for potential regrowth, or the entire plant can be removed when heads reach full size at 55 days. Harvest late spring and summer sowings promptly to beat bolting, and check daily during harvest season as leaves can become bitter once bolting begins.
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“The story of Italienischer lettuce beautifully illustrates how seed varieties carry the fingerprints of global migration and cultural exchange. Named 'Italian' in German, this lettuce represents the complex journey that most garden varieties take before landing in our local plots. Like Polish tomatoes, Hungarian peppers, and Saskatchewan watermelons, Italienischer reminds us that when we talk about locally-grown food, we must remember that most seed has traveled thousands of miles and back again, carrying stories of the many hands and lands that shaped it into the exquisite variety we grow today.”