Lactuca sativa Seeds | Red Salad Bowl Lettuce
LATIN NAME: Lactuca sativa
COMMON NAME: Red Salad Bowl Lettuce
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Red Salad Bowl Lettuce, Lactuca sativa is a noteworthy species in the daisy family. The Red Salad Bowl lettuce frills loose, open heads of deeply lobed, ruffled, burgundy-red leaves that rise from low crown, the whole plant carrying the soft, frilly, colourful form. It grows quickly from seed, and it stands cool weather well. It likes sun or part shade, and rich, moist, well-drained soil. Together these qualities explain its long-standing appeal to gardeners.
Science & Biotechnology
Within the daisy family, Lactuca sativa is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. Nutritionists value leaf compounds, while food scientists note mild, fresh flavour. Its behaviour in gardens is well recorded, thanks to a long history in cultivation.
Uses & Benefits
Red Salad Bowl Lettuce brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Ruffled leaves serve salads and garnishes, they crop again after cutting, and loose heads keep tender texture over cool season. It grows well in rich, moist, well-drained ground. Ruffled leaves come within the season. Beyond the establishment year, its needs are simple and few.
Lettuce began as wild lettuce, whose bitter latex, lactucarium, was the lettuce opium of Victorian calming syrups; garden lettuce is a folate-rich staple green, and stem lettuce, celtuce, is a crunchy Asian delicacy.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Red Salad Bowl Lettuce under ordinary good conditions. A simple routine works well: sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly in a loose, well-drained seed compost, maintain even moisture, and provide partial shade. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Given the right start, Red Salad Bowl Lettuce is a long-term garden companion. Fresh seed sown into evenly moist compost is most of the battle won.
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