I couldn’t say no when I was asked to grow Michelle lettuce (Lactuca sativa) to collect seeds at Seedsavers. This is a beautiful crisp French Heirloom lettuce that is mostly green in summer and has a lovely red tinge in the cooler months. It’s great in both cool and summer months and we’ve been eating it all winter long, just taking leaves off as needed.

Growing – A great summer lettuce that can be grown in partial sun and is slow to bolt to seed.

Care – Michelle lettuce is great in the hotter months as it is heat resistant and won’t burn on the tips. Having said that some shade in Summer doesn’t hurt.

Pests and Diseases – I have not witnessed any and have been growing this lettuce for some time now.

Harvest – The lettuce will mature in 55 days and is thick and crunchy, not easily turning bitter.

Interestingly, no type of lettuce can be preserved.

Propagation – Sew seeds in August to May, you can expect germination to take 12 days.

Eating – Lovely in a fresh salad and eaten all year round which is wonderful! This is definitely  lettuce we will continue to grow at Booyong, our guests have enjoyed the crisp lettuce over winter.