Lamb's lettuce is hardy and can also be grown here without any problems. We show the best varieties as well as tips and tricks for a successful harvest.
Common lamb's lettuce (Valerianella locusta) is usually simply referred to as lamb's lettuce. In addition to more or less common synonyms such as Rapunzel, there are also some curious names such as lard or nut salad. Lamb's lettuce is a popular leafy salad, especially during the winter months. Its excellent taste is partly rounded off with a slightly nutty aroma. It is found not only in Central and Southern Europe, but also in parts of North Africa and West Asia. Lamb's lettuce has only enjoyed great popularity since the 19th century. Before that time, it was only known as a weed in fields. Its synonym 'Ackerlattlich' is therefore hardly surprising.
Growing lamb's lettuce in the garden
Although the plant is quite undemanding in terms of soil, fresh and nutrient-rich soil is preferred. These can also be loamy to sandy. Fertilization can generally be dispensed with. However, if the soil in your own garden is very poor, you can certainly fertilize it a little when it is young. Excessive fertilization with nitrogen leads to the accumulation of nitrate in the plant, so we advise against it.
Lambs lettuce can be sown between the beginning of August and mid-September as well as the beginning of March. The seed is sown 1cm deep. If you leave 20cm between the rows you can weed well and later harvest more easily. If you prefer something a little more disorderly, you can also sow the seeds in a broadcast manner on the prepared bed. Depending on the temperature, lamb's lettuce will germinate in two to three weeks.
A detailed step-by-step guide to growing lamb's lettuce.
Lambs Lettuce Varieties
- Accent: forms uniform plants; fast-growing variety; grows tall/upright.
- Amely: extremely fast-growing variety with round, dark green foliage; profitable.
- Baron: very fast growing variety; suitable for both outdoor and polytunnel cultivation; high yield.
- Cirilla:popular commercial variety; makes beautiful rosettes of glossy dark green leaves; high yielding and good tolerance to powdery and downy mildew.
- D'Olanda A Seme Grosso: Traditional variety from Italy; fast-growing with long and thick leaves; particularly aromatic and delicate; in the Franchi range.
- Dark green full-hearted: old and proven variety with small and round leaves; quite slow growing but robust; also known under the synonym "Verte à coeur plein 2".
You can find a detailed list with many other lamb's lettuce varieties here.
Harvest and storage of lamb's lettuce
Since small lettuces are usually grown as a secondary crop, the harvest usually starts in autumn. The lamb's lettuce harvest can last into March on frost-free days. The plants can be protected from very low temperatures with fleece or a film. If you don't harvest the entire little plant and leave the innermost leaves standing, lamb's lettuce will follow in the spring. However, the plant should be fully harvested before flowering.
Once harvested, it should be consumed as soon as possible. Storage can lead to significant quality losses after just a few days.
Diseases and Pests
Especially since commercial farmers have been intensively cultivating this type of lettuce, diseases such as phoma rot or powdery mildew have been spreading in lamb's lettuce, which was previously considered robust. In unsuitable cultivation conditions, lamb's lettuce is often plagued by powdery mildew and downy mildew. If you cultivate the lettuce in a polytunnel or a greenhouse, you can prevent downy mildew through regular ventilation. You should also be careful when watering outdoors. Drought promotes powdery mildew infestation. If a plant is affected, it should be discarded. To protect the plants, you can also use a natural-based pesticide or use resistant lamb's lettuce varieties such as Elan, Gala or Medallion.
Ingredients and uses in the kitchen
Lambs lettuce is rich in vitamins C and A and minerals such as iron. As a he althy salad in winter, it should definitely be on the menu. Salad dishes are the most common way to prepare lamb's lettuce. Nevertheless, there are also some recipes that fry it with some garlic and olives and serve with pasta. Also aslamb's lettuce is a good choice as a decorative topping on sandwiches.
