Lactuca sativa var. angustana
Asparagus lettuce
Common names: Celtuce, Stem lettuce
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 30 cm, rows 30 cm
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Sowing
- Mar–Jun
- Harvest
- Jun–Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below −2 °C
- Water need
- High
Photo: Downtowngal · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Asparagus lettuce, botanically Lactuca sativa var. angustana, is a lettuce grown for its stem. It originates from China and first forms a rosette of long, narrow leaves, then shoots upward. The stem grows 30 to 40 cm long and 2 to 3 cm thick. It is harvested before flowering. The fibrous outer skin is peeled off, revealing a juicy, pale green core that tastes mild and nutty, somewhat like kohlrabi and cucumber. It can be grated raw, sliced into salads, or steamed like asparagus and stir-fried in a wok. In the garden it offers a change for summer, since bolting, which disturbs head lettuce, is desired here. Young leaves are also edible, while older leaves become bitter.
Care instructions
Sow asparagus lettuce directly into the bed from mid April to June, no deeper than 0.5 cm, or pre-grow it in pots from March and plant it out with 30 cm spacing after the last late frosts. It needs a sunny spot with humus-rich, evenly moist soil. Watering regularly and mulching the soil keeps the stem tender, while drought stress makes it woody and bitter. It is ready to harvest about 12 to 14 weeks after sowing, once the stem is as thick as a thumb but still tender. Cut it close to the soil before flower buds appear, as it becomes tough afterward. Slugs love young plants: collect them in the evening or protect the bed with a slug fence. In humid weather, prevent downy mildew by providing an airy position and watering in the morning.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–Jun
HarvestJun–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 5 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 4 to 10 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- 0.5 cm
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, loamy, nutrient-rich, well-drained
Celtuce grows best in humus-rich, loose and nutrient-rich soil that stays evenly moist. Loamy soil holds water and nutrients well; on sandy plots, work in plenty of compost beforehand. The pH should be slightly acidic to neutral. Waterlogging and compacted soil lead to rot at the base of the stem, so loosen the bed deeply before sowing.
Like lettuce, endive, radicchio and salsify, celtuce belongs to the daisy family. Keep a three-year break on the same bed so that lettuce rot and other diseases do not build up. It does well after legumes.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Apr–Jun
Celtuce is a moderate feeder. Before planting, work mature compost into the soil, which covers the needs of the first weeks. While the stem grows, a thin layer of compost or diluted nettle liquid about every three to four weeks helps. Avoid fresh manure and too much nitrogen, otherwise the leaves become soft and prone to rot.
Overwintering
Celtuce is an annual and tolerates only light frost down to about minus 2 °C. Harvest all the stems before the first hard frosts in October; in the fridge they keep for a few days. Plant remains go on the compost. If you want to save seed, store the well-dried seeds cool, dark and dry.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
You propagate celtuce by seed. It is a light germinator, so you cover the seeds only thinly with soil, 0.5 cm at most, and press them down lightly. The best germination temperature is 15 to 20 °C; above 25 °C germination often fails. Sow from March to June, in pots or trays in spring, and directly in the bed from mid-April. For your own seed, let one strong plant flower; the seeds ripen about two to three weeks after flowering. Lettuce mostly pollinates itself, and crossings are rare.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Asparagus lettuce yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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