Kale Italian Nero-Toscanna org

Lettuce Mesclun Farmers Market

Why pay outrageous prices for gourmet mesclun salad greens at the grocery store when it’s so easy to grow your own? This mild-tasting blend includes Tango, Oak Leaf, Red Salad Bowl, Black Seeded Simpson, Grand Rapids, and Red Sails. The six varieties make a tantalizing, pretty mix that has varied textures, shapes, and colors. You can begin harvesting leaves in just 2 to 3 weeks after planting. If you cut back the plants 2” above the ground, they will grow back for a second harvest. This mixture will also tolerate a little shade and does well in containers. When to start outside: RECOMMENDED. Early spring, 3 to 4 weeks before average last frost, and successive plantings thereafter every 3 weeks until 2 weeks before the first fall frost. (Skip very hot summers.) USDA zone 8 or warmer: sow in fall for winter harvest. ”

This exquisite organic mix of mesclun greens was chosen by Chef John Platt, owner of Q’s restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. He cooks some of the best food in Boulder (and in the world for that matter)! That is why we trusted him to choose this salad mix. You will be very impressed by the mixture of flavors, textures, and colors that are as varied as the acclaimed cuisine of Q’s restaurant. Chef Platt recommends harvesting this mix as baby greens, shearing off the leaves to 1” above ground when they are 4” to 6” tall. However, you can also harvest mature plants up to 10” tall or pick individual leaves anytime. The earlier the harvest, the more tender the leaves. Plants that are cut no shorter than 2” above ground level will also re-grow new leaves. An excellent container variety, you can grow this gourmet mix just about anywhere that receives at least a half day of sunlight. When to start outside: RECOMMENDED. Early spring, 3 to 4 weeks before average last frost, and successive plantings thereafter every 3 weeks until 2 weeks before the first fall frost. (Skip very hot summers.) USDA zone 8 or warmer: sow in fall for winter harvest. When to start inside: Not recommended. (Since lettuce mixes are often grown for baby leaves, it’s easier to sow directly outdoors rather than trying to grow individual plants inside and transplanting.) Special Sowing & Germination Instructions: Barely cover seed with soil or plant no deeper than 1/8”. Light and cool temperatures increase germination. When thinning lettuce, use the thinnings in salads. It can be planted in rows, but group plantings take up less space and are attractive. Double or triple rows also work

Named for Parris Island off the coast of South Carolina, this old favorite Romaine deserves a try by any lettuce lover. “Crunchy leaves”, “creamy white heart”, and “vigorous” are just a few of the words that describe this variety. A mosaic virus tolerant heirloom, it grows with upright, dark green slightly savoyed (crinkled) leaves that reach 8”-12” tall.

When to start outside: RECOMMENDED. Early spring, 3 to 4 weeks before average last frost, and successive plantings thereafter every 3 weeks until 2 weeks before the first fall frost. (Skip very hot summers.) USDA zone 8 or warmer: sow in fall for winter harvest.

When to start inside: Not recommended. (Since lettuce mixes are often grown for baby leaves, it’s easier to sow directly outdoors rather than trying to grow individual plants inside and transplanting.)
 

Lettuce-Butterhead

Buttercrunch

Certified Organic

Buttercrunch lettuce is a premium quality European Bibb lettuce with delicate flavor. The tender, compact 5-6 inch  heads have slightly crumpled green leaves with a creamy yellow core. Its buttery, tender texture makes it perfect for salads, giving them a gourmet touch. A vigorous grower, it loves moist but not soggy soil and is easy to grow, even in containers! Buttercrunch is also bolt resistant and will withstand a little more heat than many other lettuce varieties. This high performance variety has been a standard for Butterhead lettuces for many years. It was an All America Selections Winner in 1963.

When to plant outside: Early spring, 3 to 4 weeks before the average last frost, and successive plantings thereafter every 3 weeks until 2 weeks before the first fall frost. In USDA zone 8 or warmer, it can also be sown in fall for winter harvest. When to start inside: 6 weeks before last spring frost and in summer when soil temperatures are too warm outside to germinate lettuce seed. Special Sowing & Germination Instructions: Most of the new lettuce varieties do not require light to germinate. However, Buttercrunch is an older variety and may need light to encourage germination. Sow seed on the soil surface and press in to make contact with soil or plant no deeper than 1/8 inch

Lettuce -Butterhead Tom Thumb

Heirloom

Tom Thumb, a miniature English heirloom butterhead, is the perfect size for individual salads. Its petite 4"-5" loose heads can be grown in containers, window boxes, or even as an edible border along a path or flower bed. The sweet, tender heads with buttery flavor are a gourmet treat any way you serve them. You can harvest individual leaves as the plant grows, cut the entire plant off at ground level, or twist out the small interior head to make a lettuce 'bowl' that can be filled with your favorite salad ingredients. (Butterhead type lettuce is rarely bitter, quick maturing, and they are also known as Boston or Bibb lettuce.) This packet plants: Seven 10-foot rows or seven successive plantings of 10-foot rows.

 When to plant outside: Early spring, 3 to 4 weeks before the average last frost, and successive plantings thereafter every 3 weeks until 2 weeks before the first fall frost. In USDA zone 8 or warmer, it can also be sown in fall for winter harvest. When to start inside: 6 weeks before last spring frost and in summer when soil temperatures are too warm outside to germinate lettuce seed. Special Sowing & Germination Instructions: when thinning lettuce, use the thinnings in salads. It can be planted in rows, but group plantings take up less space and are attractive. Double or triple rows also work.