Crisphead
Joker Lettuce is Frank Morton's playful creation, a lettuce variety born from the visionary breeding work of one of the plant world's most unconventional minds. Ready to harvest in just 55 days, this compact lettuce grows to a tidy 8 inches tall and wide, thriving in full sun with moderate spacing of 12 inches. Frost-tolerant and unfussy about soil pH (6.0 to 7.0), it's a lettuce that rewards curiosity and delivers reliable harvests for gardeners willing to embrace a little creative randomness.
Full Sun
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8in H x 8in W
Annual
Moderate
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Frank Morton created Joker Lettuce by balancing the known and unknown in plant breeding, crossing traits with the intuition of a tarot reader shuffling possibilities. This entertaining variety emerged from an unconventional breeder who treats plant genetics like an artist treats a canvas, comfortable in uncomfortable places where innovation happens. For gardeners, that means a lettuce that carries the stamp of genuine creativity rather than industrial standardization.
Joker Lettuce is grown for fresh harvest as a salad green. Its quick 55-day maturity and compact 8-inch size make it well-suited to small spaces, containers, and successive plantings for continuous salad harvests throughout the growing season.
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost, keeping germination temperature between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Sow seeds in seed starting mix and keep consistently moist until germination occurs.
Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Transplant outdoors when seedlings have 2 to 3 true leaves, spacing plants 12 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart. Plant in full sun in soil with pH between 6.0 and 7.0.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after the last frost date in spring, or in late summer for fall harvest. Sow seeds shallowly and keep soil consistently moist until germination.
Joker Lettuce reaches harvest readiness in 55 days from planting. Begin harvesting outer leaves once the plant is large enough to handle, or wait and harvest the entire head when it reaches full size at 8 inches tall and wide. Harvest in the early morning when leaves are crisp and full of moisture. Use a clean knife to cut the head just above soil level, or pick individual outer leaves for a continuous harvest.
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“Joker Lettuce came from Frank Morton, a legendary plant breeder whose approach to creating new varieties defies the usual logic of horticultural development. Morton works like both oracle and fool, scientist and magician, unafraid to explore unexpected crossings and let the plants reveal new possibilities. Out of his experimental deck of traits emerged Joker Lettuce, destined to become an heirloom. The variety represents a philosophy where plant breeding is as much about discovery as it is about design, where a willingness to take chances produces varieties that feel genuinely alive rather than merely optimized.”