One packet, 13 different lettuces. Soft butterheads, crisp romaine types, tender loose leaf varieties. Every sowing gives you a salad bowl with genuine variety in shape, texture and flavour.
This is a cut and come again mix. You cut the leaves at about 10cm high, and they grow back. Cut again. Grow back again. One small sowing gives you weeks of salad.
There are approximately 6,000 seeds in a packet. Sow a small pinch every three to four weeks from March to September, and you will not buy a bag of salad leaves from the supermarket all year.
🌱 Sowing information
Sow thinly from March to September, either in trays and transplant, or direct where they are to grow. Cover lightly (about 1cm) and keep moist. For a continuous supply, sow a short row every 3 to 4 weeks.
☀️ Light exposure
Full sun or light shade. Lettuces actually benefit from a little shade in the hottest weeks of summer, which helps prevent bolting. An ideal crop for slightly shaded spots that are too dark for tomatoes.
💧 Water needs
Keep soil consistently moist. Lettuce leaves are 95% water, so they need regular watering to stay crisp and tender. Dry conditions cause bitterness and bolting. Water in the morning to reduce slug problems.
🌡️ Germination temperature and time
Seeds germinate in 5 to 10 days at 10 to 20°C. Lettuce germinates best in cooler conditions. In very hot weather (above 25°C), germination can be poor. Sow in the evening or keep trays in a cool spot.
📏 Plant spacing and final size
Space 20 to 25cm apart for full heads, or sow more thickly for baby leaf harvesting. Works brilliantly in containers, windowboxes, and raised beds. One of the easiest crops to grow in a small space.
🌼 Harvesting notes
Harvest from 4 to 6 weeks as baby leaf, 8 to 10 weeks for full heads. For cut and come again, cut leaves at about 10cm and let them regrow. You will get 2 to 3 cuts from each sowing.
🍽️ In the kitchen
Torn into salads, layered in sandwiches, or served as a bed for grilled vegetables. The mix of textures and slight bitterness is what makes a proper Italian insalata mista.
📖 Not sure what to cook with your harvest? Our recipe guide “Welly to Belly: The Italian Vegetable Garden” is full of simple Italian recipes for exactly what you are growing. Get your copy and start cooking with what you grow.
Technical Data
🌱 Sowing depth: 1cm, sow thinly
📅 Sow: March to September
☀️ Light: Full sun to light shade
🌡️ Germination: 5 to 10 days at 10 to 20°C
📏 Space: 20 to 25cm (heads) or thickly (baby leaf)
🪴 Container friendly: excellent in pots, boxes, beds
⏳ Baby leaf: 4 to 6 weeks. Full heads: 8 to 10 weeks
🧪 Approx. seed quantity: 800 seeds per gram, 12g per packet (approx. 6,000 seeds)
Heritage blend from Franchi Sementi, est. 1783. Open pollinated, OGM free.
