Redleaf Looseleaf Lettuce Trial

Summary

We compared thirteen varieties of red looseleaf lettuce to determine the best production and taste. All of the varieties were very healthy and pretty to look at. Flame and Cardinale were judged the best at the tasting, Sunset and Bronze Arrow were tied for second and Susan’s Red Bibb was third. The very deepest red lettuce, Merlot, was judged to be tart or bitter.

Overview

We compared thirteen varieties of red looseleaf lettuce (Latin name, Lactuca sativa) to determine the best production and taste. We grew them in the winter, starting the seeds in September and harvesting the lettuce from November through February.

Soil preparation

A raised bed that had been used for cantaloupes was used. Well composted horse manure was added.

Seeding

On September 21, 2007, seeds were planted in six-packs. Two packs of each variety were planted (twelve plants of each). These were then placed in the shade house where they got watered daily by the overhead sprinklers. Within a week, they had germinated.

Transplanting

On October 25, 2007, the seedlings were transplanted into the raised bed with one handful of alfalfa pellets in each hole. The plants were spaced 8-10 inches apart. This spacing would allow us to harvest whole plants as well as cut leaves from the outside.

Watering

Watering was done by using the existing drip system set for three times a week for 30 minutes. On October 30th, a light mulch of wood chips was put down to control weeds and to keep the leaves cleaner.

Fertilization and Pesticides

No additional fertilizers or pesticides were used.

Harvesting/Tasting

The tasting took place on November 27th with about 14 Master Gardeners participating. As usual, tastings can be somewhat subjective. The following table shows some of the tasting comments.

Variety	Description	Tasting notes (from multiple people)	Seed source*
Bronze Arrow	Mild flavored California heirloom, red edged leaves	Slightly bitter, full-bodied, no taste, sweet, buttery, substantal	Seeds of Change
Cardinale	Thick, crisp brilliant red leaves on relatively upright plants	Rich taste, crisp, good, texture is crunchy	Swallowtail Garden Seeds
Flame	Distinctly red, introduced in 1988 by Harris Moran Seed Co.	Sweet, good taste, tender, sweet, like butter lettuce	Seed Savers Exchange
Lollo Rosso	Red fringed green leaves that appear tightly pleated and tucked	Flavorless, not too good, slight bitter	Nichols Garden Nursery
Merlot	Beautiful waxy maroon leaves, high in antioxidants	Bitter, bitter, tart and smooth. Good for color	Seeds of Change
Red Coral	Heirloom with smooth reddish-pink leaves with frilly margins	More flavor, slightly bitter, rich, good	Seed Savers Exchange
Red Deer Tongue	Named for its pointed leaves and thick mid-rib, it has red-tinged leaves growing in rosettes	Slight flavor, good mild	Seeds of Change
Redina	Leaves range from wine-red to dark magenta-burgundy with a crisp flavor	Pleasant, tasty, bitter after taste, unpleasant texture	Botanical Interests
Red Oak Leaf	Oak-shaped leaves mature to a deep burgundy. Good in cool weather.	Bitter, chewy, nice texture, neutral	Seeds of Change
Red Sails	Deep bronze red color which intensifies as the lettuce matures	Sweet, bland, crispy, OK, no bitterness	Nichols Garden Nursery
Red Velvet	Tops of leaves are solid reddish-maroon and the backs are green tinged with maroon	Very frilly, sweeter, fine body, too thin, no texture	Seed Savers Exchange
Sunset	Large, deep-red leaves, AAS medal in 1987	More flavorful, sweet, flavorful	Seed Savers Exchange
Susan's Red Bib	Upright growth habit. Curled and blistered leaf edges are tinged with red, Dark lime-green center. Fairly wide midribs.	Good texture, buttery, bland, lacks taste, others liked it	Seed Savers Exchange

Observations

From December to February, 2008, all the heads of lettuce were given away. Many people tried the method of pulling up the whole plant then putting it in a glass of water on the kitchen counter. A head of lettuce would keep for longer than a week that way. Others reported that they mixed the red lettuce with other greens to make a pretty salad. Towards the end of the harvest, the heads did have baby aphids on them, so the lettuce had to be washed several times. There was no bolting of any of the heads, probably because it was harvested in the winter.

Summary

Flame and Cardinale were judged the best at the tasting, Sunset and Bronze Arrow were tied for second and Susan’s Red Bibb was third. The very deepest red lettuce, Merlot, was judged to be tart or bitter. All of the varieties were very healthy and pretty to look at.

This was an interesting project which showed how easy it is to grow lettuce in this area. We think we grew it at exactly the right time, but it might be interesting to start earlier or to grow as an early spring crop. And who would have guessed that there so were so many varieties of red looseleaf lettuce?

Growing test conducted at the CU Master Gardeners Nine Palms Ranch in late 2007. Lead: Betsy Fischer.

* No endorsement of named products or companies is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products or companies that are not mentioned, nor is current availability guaranteed.