VegetableLettuce
Merveille des Quatre Saisons Lettuce
Butterhead
Merveille des Quatre Saisons is an heirloom French lettuce with a dramatic story written across its leaves. Deep magenta outer leaves give way to a soft apple-green heart that blanches itself as it grows, creating a stunning two-tone effect that intensifies in spring and fall sowings. This hardy annual reaches harvest in 60 to 69 days and thrives in hardiness zones 2 through 10, living up to its name which translates to "Marvel of the Four Seasons" by succeeding where other lettuces falter. At just 5 to 10 inches tall, it's compact enough for containers yet substantial enough to anchor a salad bowl.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
2-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam
Preferred Temp60-75°F
Growth Stats
10 in
Height
—
Width
6 in
Spacing
60–69
Days to Harvest
PeriodAnnual, Biennial
TypeForb/herb
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
2-10
Size
10in H x ?in W
Growth
Annual, Biennial
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
The magic of this French heirloom lies in its seasonal resilience and striking appearance. Those deep magenta outer leaves fade to apple-green at the center, a color shift that tells you the lettuce is naturally blanching itself as it matures. Because Quatre Saisons can handle temperature swings that would wilt ordinary lettuce varieties, spring and fall gardens become its moment to truly shine, displaying those rich colors most vividly when conditions are cool. It's not just a pretty face either; this variety has earned its reputation by delivering harvests reliably through seasons when gardeners thought lettuce had given up.
Common Uses
This lettuce is grown first and foremost for fresh salads, where its deep magenta and green leaves create visual drama on the plate. The dual coloring makes it prized by gardeners who appreciate both nutrition and aesthetics in their greens. Its cold tolerance means it appears on tables through spring and fall when other lettuce varieties have bolted or succumbed to heat or frost.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
N/a
First Harvest
4-6 Weeks After Planting
Last Harvest
8-10 Weeks After Planting
Care Instructions
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds into garden soil when conditions are cool, in spring or late summer for fall harvest. Sow when soil temperature ranges between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, spacing seeds thinly and pressing them gently into the soil surface.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting outer leaves when the plant reaches usable size, typically around 60 to 69 days from sowing. You can also harvest the entire head by cutting it at soil level. The plant is ready when the outer magenta leaves are well-developed and the inner apple-green heart shows signs of blanching. For the most vibrant colors and best flavor, harvest in the cool conditions of spring or fall rather than during summer heat.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
EdibleNative Species
Scientific Classification
Lactuca ×morssii B.L. Rob. (pro sp.)
Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Lactuca
Duration
Annual, Biennial
Native Status
L48 (N)
History & Origin
“This lettuce carries the distinctly French stamp of a variety refined over generations to solve a real problem: how to grow salad greens when conditions aren't perfect. The "Quatre Saisons" name itself reveals the breeder's ambition, encoding into the variety name the promise that it would produce across all four seasons. True Leaf Market identifies this as an original French lettuce variety from the "4 Seasons" strain, also known as Marvel of the Four Seasons, suggesting it was developed with the seasonal gardener in mind rather than for greenhouse uniformity.”