Some people call it Buttercrunch lettuce. Other folks, know it as Butterhead lettuce. However you know it, this lettuce, is a crisp, and crunchy treat in the salad bowl. This popular lettuce forms thick, green outer leaves giving way to sweet, creamy colored, compact head. Like other lettuces, Buttercrunch lettuce is a cool weather crop. But, Buttercrunch holds up better in hot weather than most other lettuces. Time your spring crop to mature prior to the onset of hot and humid weather. We recommend an indoor start in the spring for an early crop for your salad bowl.

How to Grow:

Buttercrunch lettuce can be sowed directly into the garden, or started indoors. Direct sow seeds outdoors, spreading the small seeds as thinly as possible. For indoor starts, sow a few seeds in each cell of a seed tray. Cover very lightly with a fine starter soil. Keep soil moist during the germination period. Fast sprouting seedlings should emerge in about 5-10 days.

It's important to time the crop to mature prior to the onset of hot dry weather. In these conditions, the plant is bolt...go to seed. It can also split or rot. For your fall crop, an indoor start is best. Lettuce seeds do not germinate well in the hot soil of mid-summer.

Harvesting:

If you just can't wait for some fresh, home grown Buttercrunch lettuce, you can begin to harvest the leaves as soon as they are big enough to use on a sandwich or in a salad. As you thin the rows, use culled plants. If this is your first time growing, it's sometimes hard to tell when the heads are fully mature. When in doubt, harvest a head, eat, and enjoy!

Hardiness:

Lettuce thrives in cooler weather. But, it is also susceptible to frost. It does not like mid-summer heat, or dry conditions.