Lettuce and Salad Greens Seeds - A Diversity of Heritage Varieties and Aromatic Leaf Lettuces
Fresh lettuce is one of the most versatile vegetable crops in the garden. Many lettuce varieties grow quickly, can be cultivated over many months and repeatedly provide fresh leaves for salads, sandwiches or warm dishes. From tender loose-leaf lettuces and classic head lettuces to robust winter lettuces, there is a wide diversity of lettuces for different seasons and growing methods.
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Lettuce botanically belongs to the species Lactuca sativa, which has developed numerous different forms throughout the history of cultivation. These include head-forming lettuces, loose-leaf lettuces, aromatic chicory lettuces and frost-tolerant winter lettuces. This diversity makes it possible to harvest fresh lettuce in the garden for almost the entire year.
You can also find an overview of the most important lettuce types and their differences in the blog article From Asian greens to winter lettuce: the salad leaves your garden needs, which introduces the different lettuce groups and their characteristics in more detail.
Lettuce varieties at a glance
The world of lettuces is remarkably diverse. In our subcategories you will find different lettuce types for various growing seasons and flavour profiles.
Growing lettuce in the garden
Lettuce seeds are among the easiest vegetable crops to grow in the garden. Many varieties germinate even at low temperatures and quickly develop into harvestable plants.
Most lettuces prefer:
- loose, humus-rich garden soil
- sunny to partially shaded locations
- even soil moisture without waterlogging
Loose-leaf lettuces can be harvested over several weeks by regularly picking individual leaves. Head lettuces, romaine lettuces or iceberg lettuces, on the other hand, are usually harvested as whole plants once a firm head has formed.
Lettuce types in the garden
The world of lettuces is remarkably diverse. Different lettuce types vary in growth form, leaf structure, flavour and growing season.
The most important groups include:
Head-forming lettuces
- Batavia lettuce with semi-closed heads and strong, wavy leaves
- Iceberg lettuce with particularly firm, tightly closed heads
- Romaine lettuce with elongated heads and strong leaf ribs
Loose-leaf lettuces
- Loose-leaf lettuce and cut lettuce with repeated leaf harvests
- Baby leaf lettuces with particularly tender young leaves
- Asian greens with aromatic, fast-growing leaves for spring, autumn and protected winter cultivation
Autumn and winter lettuces
- Endive lettuces such as escarole and frisée with aromatic bitterness
- Chicory lettuces such as radicchio or sugarloaf for autumn and winter
- Winter lettuces for the cold season
Special lettuce types
- Celtuce with edible stem and mild leaves
- edible wild herbs for aromatic wild herb salads
Harvest lettuce almost all year round
With the right choice of varieties, lettuce can be grown for many months. Spring and summer lettuces grow particularly quickly, while autumn and winter lettuces tolerate cooler temperatures well.
Many winter lettuces are already sown in summer so they can develop strong plants before the cold season begins. Some species such as lamb’s lettuce or winter purslane are particularly frost hardy and can remain in the bed even at low temperatures.
Which lettuce varieties are particularly suitable for winter cultivation is explained in the blog article Fresh green salad when it’s cold and snowy – winter salads .
Lettuce seeds for garden beds, raised beds and balconies
Many lettuce varieties are suitable not only for traditional vegetable beds but also for raised beds, balcony boxes or larger containers. Loose-leaf lettuces, baby leaf lettuces and several Asian leaf vegetables in particular grow reliably even in small spaces and quickly provide fresh harvests.
In this category you will find a large selection of lettuce seeds for different lettuce types - from classic garden lettuces and robust winter lettuces to unusual rarities and historic varieties for diverse salads in your own garden.
