Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
Buttercrunch Lettuce forms open, but tightly bunched soft, green, curled leaves that wrap around a loose inner head of the interior leaves. This lettuce forms small 6 inch rosette heads that yields leaves that are delicate, yet strong enough to roll into lettuce wraps. This variety is sought after for its melt-in-your-mouth “buttery” flavor that is sweet, mild, and complex.
Buttercrunch Lettuce is a vigorous grower. Beginner gardeners looking to grow lettuce couldn’t choose an easier or more productive lettuce variety. It is fairly heat-tolerant, slow to bolt and stays mild long after other lettuce varieties have gone bitter. The compact size makes it a good container variety for patios, decks or indoors. This seed can also be used to grow microgreens.
NAME: Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
VARIETY: Buttercrunch (aka, Butterhead)
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
TYPE: Annual
SOIL: Fertile, well-draining soils with a pH 6.5-7.0
SUNLIGHT: Full sun or light shade
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 3 – 12
DAYS TO MATURITY: 55-60 days
PLANT HEIGHT: 8 – 10 inches
SPACNIG: 4 – 6 apart
TEMP: 40 – 85 °F
These seeds do not required stratification.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
Start seeds indoors 2 weeks before your last local frost date, in cell trays with 2 to 3 seeds per cell. Use a loose & fluffy seed starting soil mix. Water in seeds generously and germination will occur in 6 to 11 days.
Once the first set of true leaves show, thin out all but one of the seedlings per cell.
You can also start them in large pots if you plan to grow them entirely in pots.
When the seedlings are two inches tall, harden off seedlings for several days before transplanting outside. Do this by taking them outside during the day and bringing them in at night (Outside temps should be above 50°F when you start this process).
When transplanting, plant the seedling into the soil up to the base of the stem, spacing the plants 5 to 8 inches apart.
If direct seeding lettuce outdoors, plant each seed 1/4 inch deep and 2 inches apart in rows that are spaced 12 inches apart.
Once they get to be a few inches tall and show their true leaves thin them out so they are spaced 5 to 8 inches apart.
It is ideal to plant lettuce in the spring and fall in a spot that is in full sun.
If you want to grow lettuce during the hottest weeks of summer, partial shaded areas or additional shade cloth can, to an extent, help prevent bolting caused by hot weather.
Lettuce grows best in loose, fertile soil with good drainage and a pH between 6.5-7.0; adding compost to the soil prior to planting will help provide essential nutrients and improve drainage.
If you plant lettuce in successive plantings, with 10 to 14 days in between, you will have an extended harvest.
To prevent summer bolting, stop planting one month before the hottest summer temps start.
Plant fall-harvested lettuce towards the end of summer so it reaches maturity by late fall, when the air is cool, but not yet below 40°F.
Begin harvesting Buttercrunch Lettuce when the leaves are young and tender, typically about 6-8 weeks after planting.
Use scissors or a sharp knife to cut the outer leaves, leaving the center leaves to continue growing.
Harvest lettuce leaves in the morning for the best flavor and texture.
Continue to harvest regularly to encourage new growth and prolong the harvest period.
