Oakleaf
Salanova Red Oakleaf Lettuce is an exclusive open-pollinated variety that brings finely lobed, saladbowl-type leaves to the cool-season garden. From transplants, it reaches harvest maturity in just 57 days, making it one of the speedier lettuce options for spring and fall crops. Its compact growth habit and frost tolerance mean you can plant it with your earliest worked soil in hardiness zones 3 through 11, and it thrives in the cool temperatures lettuce loves, ideally 60, 65°F. The deeply lobed oakleaf form is not just visually striking; it's designed for fresh salads and continuous harvesting throughout the season.
12-18 inches apart
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3-11
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Annual
Moderate
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The finely lobed leaves of this saladbowl-type oakleaf create an ornamental presence in the garden while delivering quick turnaround from transplant to plate. Its compact growth habit makes it manageable in beds and containers alike, and its frost tolerance extends your harvest window on both ends of the growing season. At 57 days from transplants, you can sow in succession every 2, 3 weeks for a steady supply without the waiting game of other lettuce varieties.
Red Oakleaf Lettuce is best enjoyed fresh in salads, where its deeply lobed, tender leaves become the centerpiece. The attractive shape and color make it equally at home in a spring salad bowl as it is in continuous-harvest plantings where you pick individual leaves throughout the season rather than harvesting whole heads.
Start seeds indoors in a cool environment between 60, 70°F for best germination. Sow pelleted seeds at the recommended depth about 6, 8 weeks before your last spring frost or 8, 10 weeks before your first fall frost. Average spacing is about 16,000 plants per ounce of seed. Keep seedlings in cool conditions and provide bright light to prevent leggy growth.
Transplant seedlings outdoors as soon as soil can be worked in spring, since Salanova Red Oakleaf is frost-tolerant and thrives in cool weather. Space plants 6, 8 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart. Harden off transplants by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7, 10 days before planting. Soil temperature should be at least 50°F, though cooler is fine.
Direct sow seeds into prepared beds every 2, 3 weeks for continuous harvests throughout the cool season. Sow seeds at the surface or just barely covered, keeping the soil consistently moist until germination occurs.
Begin harvesting individual leaves when they reach usable size, typically around 57 days from transplant. You can harvest outer leaves continuously while the plant is still producing new growth in the center, extending your harvest over several weeks. Alternatively, harvest the entire head once it reaches full size and compact form. Harvest in the cool part of the morning for maximum crispness and quality.
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