Selway Leaf Lettuce is a striking heirloom open-pollinated variety that brings deep crimson-red frilled leaves and a tight lime-green to yellow heart to spring and fall gardens across zones 2 to 10. This Lolla Rosa type matures in 40 to 49 days and reaches just 5 to 10 inches tall, making it equally at home in a small raised bed or a crowded container garden. What truly sets Selway apart is its remarkable heat tolerance and slow bolting habit, combined with an exceptional ability to hold its quality at maturity without deteriorating.
14
Full Sun
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2-10
10in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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Selway's tightly frilled deep red leaves with a luminous lime-yellow center create a lettuce that's as beautiful on the plate as it is in the garden. Unlike most leaf lettuces, this variety refuses to rush; it's slow to bolt even in warm spells, giving you weeks of harvest rather than days. The tight central rosette stays crisp and fresh longer than many peers, and it adapts gracefully to variable growing conditions while still preferring cool 60 to 65 degree weather.
Selway is grown primarily for fresh salads, where its tender frilled leaves and attractive presentation shine. The contrasting colors and texture make it a natural choice for composed salads where visual appeal matters as much as taste. Home gardeners often grow it as much for its ornamental qualities as for eating, using it to edge beds or fill containers where it doubles as both food and garden décor.
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Selway can be direct sown in the garden and does not require indoor starting. For transplants started indoors, harden off seedlings gradually before moving them to the garden once soil is workable in spring or 8 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost.
Direct sow seeds in early spring as soon as soil can be worked, or in late summer for a fall crop. Press seeds onto moist soil surface or cover lightly; seeds need light to germinate. Thin seedlings to final spacing of 14 inches apart once they develop their first true leaves.
Begin harvesting outer leaves when the plant reaches 4 to 6 inches tall, typically 40 to 49 days after sowing. You can harvest individual outer leaves as needed, allowing the center to continue growing, or cut the entire head just above soil level when the rosette reaches full size and tightness. Selway's ability to hold well at maturity means you don't need to rush; the plant will maintain quality over a longer window than many other lettuces.
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“Selway is an open-pollinated heirloom, meaning it comes from a stable lineage preserved and passed down through generations of gardeners. As a member of the Lolla Rosa family of Italian lettuces, it carries a heritage rooted in European market gardens where such ornamental frilled varieties have been treasured for centuries. The variety's preservation and continued availability through seed companies reflects the ongoing work of heirloom seed custodians who recognize both its culinary value and its striking visual appeal.”