Butterhead Lettuce
Butter King is a heirloom butterhead lettuce that delivers on its name with tender, buttery leaves that form substantial 12-13 ounce heads. This variety thrives across hardiness zones 2-10 and reaches harvest in 60-69 days, making it reliable for most North American gardeners. What sets Butter King apart is its impressive size, nearly twice as large as the Boston types it descends from, combined with excellent heat tolerance and a remarkably slow tendency to bolt or turn bitter, even when summer warmth creeps in.
Full Sun
—
2-10
10in H x ?in W
Annual, Biennial
Moderate
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Butter King combines the best traits of a classic butterhead with surprising vigor and size. Gardeners prize it for heads that are both substantial and exceptionally tender, along with a dependable flavor that stays sweet even through Midwest heat. The variety's resistance to bolting means you can harvest over a longer window without the lettuce becoming woody or unpalatable. At just 60-69 days from seed to table, it's fast enough for succession planting while slow enough to mature reliably.
Butter King lettuce is grown primarily for fresh eating, where its tender leaves and mild, buttery flavor shine in salads. The substantial size of each head makes it practical for feeding a family or providing several meals from a single planting. The leaves are delicate enough to eat raw but sturdy enough to handle gentle washing and storage without bruising.
Transplant seedlings outdoors when they have 2-3 true leaves and soil can be worked. Space plants 8 inches apart in rows. Butter King can be transplanted at any point during the growing season as long as you expect at least 60-69 days before sustained heat arrives.
Direct sow seeds outdoors in spring as soon as soil is workable, and again in midsummer for fall harvest. Scatter seeds thinly in prepared beds and cover lightly with soil.
Harvest Butter King when heads feel firm and substantial to the touch, typically 60-69 days after sowing. Cut heads at the base with a sharp knife just above soil level, or harvest individual outer leaves by snapping them from the base of the plant while leaving the center to continue growing. Early morning harvest when leaves are crisp and hydrated yields the best texture.
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“Butter King is an heirloom butterhead lettuce, part of a lineage descended from Boston-type lettuces that became staples in American home gardens. The variety represents a deliberate breeding effort to improve upon that foundation, creating a lettuce nearly twice as large and more tender than its predecessors. As an heirloom that has been preserved and passed along through generations of gardeners, it carries the accumulated knowledge of home cultivation across different regions and growing seasons.”