Volcana Lettuce is a red-to-the-heart mini lettuce that brings color and compact elegance to cool-season gardens. This open-pollinated variety reaches harvest in just 52 days from transplants, making it one of the quickest lettuces to table. Its deep red coloring extends to the heart of the plant, creating a striking appearance in both garden beds and salad bowls. Hardy and frost-tolerant, it thrives in the cool conditions lettuce loves, germinating best between 60, 70°F and growing optimally at 60, 65°F.
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The compact growth habit and rapid 52-day maturity mean you can tuck Volcana into tight spaces and enjoy successive harvests throughout the cool season. Red coloring that penetrates to the heart sets it apart from loose-leaf varieties, giving you both visual appeal and reliable performance. Its frost tolerance extends your growing window into shoulder seasons when other lettuces struggle, and the conventional seed comes with NOP-compliant pelleting for reliable germination.
Volcana shines in fresh salads where its red coloring adds visual contrast and depth. The compact size and tender leaves make it well-suited to salad mixes and whole-head harvests for individual servings or small households. Its quick maturity and reliable performance encourage succession planting every 2, 3 weeks for a continuous supply of fresh greens throughout the cool season.
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Start Volcana indoors in a cool environment, ideally at 60, 70°F for best germination. Seed germinates best below 70°F, so avoid warm growing conditions. Sow pelleted seed directly into cell packs or trays; pelleting offers reliable germination and ease of handling, though the pelleting process shortens shelf life. Plan to transplant in approximately 3, 4 weeks once seedlings develop true leaves.
Transplant outdoors as soon as soil can be worked in spring, or 4, 6 weeks before the first fall frost. Space transplants 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches wide. Volcana is frost-tolerant and can tolerate cool soil temperatures, so there is no need to wait for warm conditions. Harden off seedlings gradually over 7, 10 days before transplanting to acclimate them to outdoor light and temperature fluctuations.
Direct sow seed outdoors as soon as soil is workable in spring or 8, 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Sow seed directly where plants will grow, spacing seed thinly along the row. Keep soil consistently moist until germination occurs in 7, 10 days at 60, 70°F.
Harvest Volcana at 52 days from transplant when heads reach full size and feel firm to gentle pressure. For whole-head harvest, cut plants at the soil line with a sharp knife in early morning when leaves are crisp and full of moisture. Alternatively, harvest outer leaves individually as needed while allowing the plant to continue growing, or gather entire plants for salad mixes. The red coloring should be evident throughout the plant when mature.
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