Oakleaf lettuce

Oak leaf lettuce is an annual and is not overwintered; it dies in lasting frost. For an autumn to early winter harvest, sow in August/September and protect the young plants in a cold frame, cold greenhouse or under horticultural fleece; in spring, sow anew (start on the windowsill from mid-March or sow directly outdoors).

You propagate oak leaf lettuce only by seed. As an annual plant, vegetative methods (cuttings, division, layering) make no sense here. From the beginning of March you can start it on the windowsill: scatter the seeds thinly on moist seed compost and cover them only with a hair-fine layer or just press them down (light germinators!), keeping them cool at around 12 to 18 °C. Above 20 °C lettuce germinates poorly or not at all. Germination is usually within a week. Direct sowing into the bed is possible from about mid-April to August: draw shallow seed drills, lay in the seeds, hardly cover them, and keep them evenly moist. Sow again at intervals of 2 to 3 weeks, and you will harvest continuously. When thinning, allow a planting distance of about 20 to 30 cm, depending on the variety. You get your own seed true to type only from open-pollinated varieties; F1 hybrids do not breed true. For this, do not harvest one strong plant: it bolts to a height of about 1 to 1.5 m and forms many small flowers. Lettuce is mostly self-pollinating, so crosses between varieties are rare. When the seed heads turn brown and the seeds detach easily, tap them out over a cloth, dry them well afterwards and store them cool, dark and dry. Seed stays viable for about 3 years.