(Lactuca sativa) Winner -- all-time fastest growing lettuce in all seasons of more than 100 varieties of lettuce I have trialed!! 50 heirloom seeds. This stuff grows amazingly fast in fall, in spring, and even (astonishingly) growing a staggering four inches a week in February in a hotbed! The photo above shows this lettuce in my garden in November -- six weeks after being planted from seed, it was a foot tall! This winter lettuce was the winner of a 1899 winter garden lettuce trial in done by the Extension service. The leaves are delicate and not crunchy, the flavor is mild. I will never be without this lettuce -- If I'm running low on lettuce (we are self-sufficient on lettuce, meaning we grow all we eat) this is the lettuce I plant first. This lettuce came about in 1880 when Eugene Davis of Grand Rapids, Michigan, noticed that some variants of an ancient French winter lettuce called Curled Silesia were doing better than all others during winter. Mr. Davis saved seed from the best winter plants until other gardeners began to ask him for the seed. According to an article in the April 1, 1906 edition of "Gardening" magazine, this lettuce "was so well adapted for winter forcing (in cold frames and hot beds) that it came to be almost exclusively used by Grand Rapids gardeners and growers in other cities came to ask for 'that Grand Rapids lettuce' and seedsmen were obliged to add it to their lists." I love this lettuce and its history. This lettuce is rarely grown today. That will change if I have my way! Works well for fresh winter garden growing as well as summer. Heirloom seeds. Annual. Free shipping on orders over $32.
NUTRITION INFO: Grand Rapids Lettuce provides 130%DV (daily value) of Vitamin A, 6%DV Vitamin C, 5%DV potassium, 4%DV dietary fiber, 4%DV iron, and 2%DV calcium.
HOW TO GROW: Press soil onto soil as soon as the ground can ber worked in spring, or anytime in spring or autumn. Plant in shad for summer starting. Keeping moist until germination, which may take two weeks, or longer in early spring. Harvest the outer leaves for continual harvest, or the whole head. Plant seeds four inches apart. Some people might say this is too close together, but if you are harvesting for eating, this spacing is ideal. For winter growing, please follow the instructions in Backyard Winter Gardening by Caleb Warnock, available at Amazon.com.
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