Lollo Rosso

Lollo Rosso is an annual and does not overwinter. Sow anew every year from April. For a late autumn harvest, cover the last sowing with horticultural fleece when night frost threatens; after that the plant goes onto the compost heap.

Lollo Rosso is propagated exclusively by sowing. As the seeds need light to germinate, scatter them only wafer-thin and press them in lightly, at most sieve a very thin layer of fine soil over them, and do not bury them deep. Indoors or in a cold frame you can start plants from the end of February (around 15 °C); sow directly outdoors from mid-April, as soon as the soil is at least 10 °C, until high summer. Germination works best at a cool 15 to 18 °C and takes about 1 to 2 weeks; in heat above 20 to 25 °C lettuce often germinates poorly. For a continuous harvest, sow in succession every 2 to 3 weeks. Prick out or thin the young plants to about 25 to 30 cm apart. If you want to save your own seed, do not harvest individual strong plants but let them grow on until flowering and seed ripening. Lettuce is self-fertilising: pollination usually takes place already in the closed flower, so different varieties hardly cross and you can easily leave several varieties side by side for seed production; the variety stays true to type (not an F1 hybrid). Harvest when about three quarters of the florets have opened their white pappus parachutes: cut off the whole flower head, let it ripen dry for one to two weeks, then rub off the seeds, free them from the pappus and store them cool and dry.