VegetableLettuce
Great Lakes Mesa 659 Lettuce
Great Lakes Mesa 659 is a crisphead lettuce that brings the satisfying crunch of grocery store quality to your garden, but with the freshness only homegrown can deliver. These round, firm heads develop light green leaves with a crisp, cool texture and reach harvest in 80 to 89 days. Thriving in zones 2 through 10, this variety handles both spring and fall planting with impressive ease, resisting the bolting that often defeats gardeners in warm weather.
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
Spacing
8
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
—
Zones
2-10
Size
10in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
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Highlights
Round, dense heads with uniformly crisp leaves that rival commercial varieties in texture and appearance. Great Lakes Mesa 659 tolerates heat and cool weather equally well, making it one of the few crispheads that genuinely performs across seasons. The productive yields and slow-bolting habit mean you can harvest substantial heads without racing against the clock, and the firm structure makes these lettuces ideal for wedge salads and sandwich building.
Common Uses
These firm, uniform heads excel as wedge salads, where their crisp structure holds up beautifully, and in sandwiches where the substantial leaves provide texture without wilting. The commercial-quality crispness makes them equally suited to chopped salads or as a fresh, crunchy addition to any plate where you want genuine texture.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your intended transplant date, sowing at a depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch and maintaining soil temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep seedlings under lights and maintain consistent moisture without waterlogging.
Transplant Outdoors
Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days, gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Transplant outdoors when soil temperature reaches at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit, spacing plants 8 inches apart. For spring planting, transplant as soon as soil is workable; for fall crops, transplant in late summer to allow heads to develop before frost.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds outdoors in spring as soon as soil can be worked, or in late summer for fall harvest. Sow seeds 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep in rows spaced 12 inches apart, then thin seedlings to 8 inches between plants.
Harvesting
Harvest when heads feel firm and dense to a gentle squeeze, typically 80 to 89 days after seeding. Cut heads at the base with a sharp knife in the early morning when leaves are crisp and cool. You can harvest outer leaves individually as the head develops, or wait for full head maturity. The tight, uniform structure makes these heads easy to assess for readiness; they should feel heavy for their size and have no soft spots.
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)