What is Batavia lettuce? – Growing Batavia lettuce in the garden

Batavia lettuce varieties are heat resistant and have a «cut and turn» harvest. They are also called French lettuces and have soft ribs and tender leaves. There are several types of Batavia lettuces, of different colours, sizes and flavours to satisfy all salad lovers. Try growing Batavian lettuce and put some interest in your crisper.

What is Batavia lettuce?

Batavia lettuce is a crisp summer variety that will germinate in warm temperatures and is slow to branch. There are open-headed and closed-headed varieties in shades of green, burgundy, red, magenta and mixed shades. All types of Batavia lettuces are open-pollinated and are good choices for a late season garden.

Batavia lettuce plants produce beautifully in cool weather, like most other varieties of lettuce, but they are also heat resistant. The seed will germinate even at temperatures too high for most lettuce seeds. Most

Crunchy summer lettuce has loose, wavy leaf heads, but some are more compact and almost look like an iceberg.

The soft, firmly veined leaves can be reddish-green, tan-green, lemon-green and many other shades. When different kinds of Batavia lettuces are planted on a bed, their wrinkled leaves and variety of colours make the display attractive and tasty.

Growing Batavian lettuce

Because of the Batavian’s good heat tolerance, the seed can germinate at 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 C.). Lettuce prefers full sun in well tilled soil. Add plenty of well putrefied organic matter and ensure good drainage.

Lettuce should be watered under the leaves to avoid fungal diseases. Keep Batavian lettuce moderately moist but not soggy.

Lettuce should not need fertilizer if the soil is properly prepared with organic amendments. Keep noxious weeds out of the bed and use slug baits to control these slimy pests and their cousins, snails. If you have rabbits, you will also need to erect a fence for insects.

Varieties of Batavia Lettuce

There are many types of crisp summer lettuce. The green types are tasty and among the most heat tolerant. Loma has an almost curly endive appearance, while Nevada is a classic open head. Other green varieties are Concept, Sierra, Muir and Anuenue.

If you want to add colour to your bowl, try growing red or bronze varieties. Cherokee Red has green ribs and a heart but reddish-purple leaves. The Cardinal is another purple red, but has a tighter head. The mottistone is deliciously mottled, while the magenta is colourful as its name implies.

They are all easy to grow in soil rich in organic matter and add a lot of variety to your produce container.