Vivian Romaine brings professional quality to the home garden with its tightly bunched heads and remarkably broad, dark green leaves that stretch 12-16 inches long and 4-6 inches across. This bolt-resistant variety thrives in zones 2-10, offering gardeners flexibility with harvests ranging from tender baby leaves at 28 days to full mature heads at 50 days. Standing 5-10 inches tall with crisp, erect foliage, Vivian delivers the commercial grower's dream of uniformity and reliability in a compact package perfect for home gardens.
8
Partial Sun
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2-10
10in H x 6in W
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Moderate
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What sets Vivian apart is its remarkable versatility and resilience. The tightly bunched growth habit creates dense, uniform heads while the bolt resistance means you can push the season longer without worry. Those broad, dark green leaves aren't just beautiful, they're incredibly practical, offering substantial harvests whether you're cutting baby greens or waiting for full maturity. The erect growth pattern makes harvesting clean and easy, while the compact 4-6 inch spread maximizes your garden space.
Vivian excels in applications where substantial, crisp lettuce leaves are prized. The broad, dark green leaves make impressive Caesar salads, providing the perfect sturdy base for dressings and toppings. As baby leaves, they add sophisticated color and crunch to mixed green salads and sandwiches. The commercial-quality heads work beautifully for lettuce wraps, while the erect growth habit makes this variety particularly valued by market gardeners seeking consistent, attractive presentation.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds 4-6 weeks before your average last frost date, and during summer months when soil temperatures exceed 80°F. Sow at surface to 1/8 inch depth in seed starting mix.
Transplant 4-6 weeks before your average last frost date when soil temperature reaches at least 40°F. Space transplants 8 inches apart in rows 8 inches apart.
Direct sow 2-4 weeks before your average last frost date when soil temperature reaches at least 40°F, ideally 60-70°F. Make successive sowings every 3 weeks until 4-6 weeks before first fall frost.
For baby leaves, begin harvesting at 28 days when leaves are tender and young. For full-sized heads, wait until 50 days when the romaine has formed tight, upright bunches with leaves reaching 12-16 inches long. Cut the entire head at soil level, or harvest outer leaves continuously while allowing the center to continue growing. The dark green, crisp leaves should feel firm and substantial when ready.
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