Buttercrunch Lettuce

53 days. This Bibb type produces a loose head, 8 to 9 inches across. Dark green and slow to bolt, it has been rated one of the dozen best vegetable introductions by a panel of garden experts. It was developed at Cornell in 1963.

How to Grow:

Buttercrunch lettuce can be sowed directly into the garden, or started indoors. Direct sow seeds outdoors, spreading the small seeds as thinly as possible. For indoor starts, sow a few seeds in each cell of a seed tray. Cover very lightly with a fine starter soil. Keep soil moist during the germination period. Fast sprouting seedlings should emerge in about 5-10 days.

Tip: When beginning transplants, stagger the start of your seedlings to spread out the crop. For example, if you are going to grow 24 plants, sow six in the seed tray today, sow six more 3-4 days later, etc.

Transplant into the garden after all danger of frost has past. Ideally, transplant them on a cool or cloudy day. Water well after transplanting. Space plants 8"-10" apart, in rows 18" apart. The soil should be rich, fertile, and well draining. Keep the soil moist. Frequent use of nitrogen-rich fertilizer is recommended. The plants respond well to regular applications of liquid fertilizer.

Transplanting Tip: When transplanting any type of lettuce in hot weather, place some form of sun shade over the plant for a couple of days. Any makeshift shade will do.

It's important to time the crop to mature prior to the onset of hot dry weather. In these conditions, the plant is bolt...go to seed. It can also split or rot.

For your fall crop, an indoor start is best. Lettuce seeds do not germinate well in the hot soil of mid-summer.