Collection: Lettuce Seeds (Heirloom)

The best lettuce comes from an heirloom lettuce seed

On a sunny spring day, there's nothing more satisfying than a salad. However, store-bought salads often seem to wilt and get slimy within a few days after being brought home. And you get to choose between romaine and iceberg lettuce—how thrilling is that? What if this year you cultivated your own heirloom lettuce? So you can instead pick between Buttercrunch, Little Gem, or Mesclun Mix?

Cultivating heirloom lettuce is easy

You'd be shocked how simple it is to cultivate heirloom lettuce. It's a prolific veggie that will sprout after being sliced several times. Homegrown lettuce is a nutrient-dense superfood that is high in Vitamin A, which is necessary for healthy skin, eyes, and bones. You should grow heirloom lettuce if nothing else because it is a beautiful vegetable. Depending on the kind, it can be any shade of green or a deep purple. Some organic strains have a mixture of the two hues. The flavor of heirloom lettuce is as vibrant as its color. The flavor characteristics range from buttery to nutty, so even the pickiest palates will find something to enjoy!

How to grow and harvest heirloom lettuce

Heirloom lettuce is a multi-purpose leafy vegetable that may be cultivated in a variety of ways. Lettuce grows nicely outside in a temperate area throughout the shoulder seasons of spring and fall. During the warmest days of summer, heirloom lettuce will bolt and turn bitter; this green vegetable is best suited as a cool-weather crop. For loose-head varieties, space transplants at least eight inches apart; for firm-head varieties, space transplants at least 16 inches apart. Plants for leaf lettuce should be spaced four inches apart. Leaf lettuces may be harvested a month after planting, but head lettuces take a few weeks longer. Order more heirloom lettuce seeds and plant successions every seven to ten days in any case.

Heirloom lettuce for delicious and healthy microgreens

Did you know that heirloom lettuce is a popular microgreens option? Salads, sandwiches, smoothies—you name it—microgreens are a great complement. Fill a seed tray with dirt and multi-sow a pinch of lettuce seeds in each cell to produce heirloom lettuce as a microgreen. Water until the seedlings are two inches tall or have their first set of real leaves, whichever comes first. Cut portions of seedlings at the base with a pair of scissors. Enjoy these microgreens within a few days after picking, and plan weekly succession plantings to ensure a steady supply.

This year, Eden Brothers' heirloom lettuce seed is your ticket to more salads. Don't spend your time and money on bland lettuce at the store. You'll be craving nutritious salads all year if you grow your own heirloom lettuce.

For more information about planting, growing, and harvesting heirloom lettuce seeds, see the Lettuce Seeds Planting Guide.