Lactuca sativa An inspiring mix with plenty of surprises, this gene pool was created by Frank Morton in his so-called “Hell’s Half-Acre lettuce trial,” in which he crossed his most disease-resistant cultivars with his best-tasting varieties to select and recombine for excellent traits. At least 10–12 “great looking and great tasting” variations won raves from trialer Donna Dyrek. Morton invites growers and breeders to work with this mix to create new varieties for their farms or for the general public, while stipulating that nothing derived from it may be patented or protected from others’ use in any way. This strategy, originated by software developers, is now known as copyleft (as opposed to traditional copyright). Morton has adopted it to keep his varieties and their derivatives in the public domain as a protected commons. OSSI. Seeds as nature’s software! Copyleft has the potential to return to free use such shared resources as our plant heritage that rightfully belong to all of us. As Morton proclaims, “Adaptive breeding cannot occur under a system of restrictive ownership.” Breeder Royalties.①
This item is certified organic
2984
Freedom Lettuce Gene Pool
- Organic
Additional Information
Mixes and Blends
Exact components will vary according to availability; click here for current list of varieties in each mix (posted in mid-January).
Lettuce
700–1100 seeds/g.
Days to maturity are from emergence after direct sowing; for transplants, subtract 20 days.
Culture: Direct seed outdoors as soon as ground can be worked and repeat every 2 weeks for continuous supply. Or start indoors in March and at regular intervals thereafter for early transplanted successions. Optimal germination temperature range 40–70° though many varieties won’t germinate in soil temps above 75° and most shut down above 80°. Thin sowings frequently and ruthlessly to a final distance of 1' for full heads. Heavy nitrogen feeders.
Hardy. All save icebergs tolerate heavy frost. Fall and overwintered harvests are becoming standard practice. For summer harvest, select varieties carefully: bolting, bottom rot and tipburn are problems if a variety can’t take the heat! Using shade cloth can keep lettuce tender and sweet longer into summer. Sesquiterpene lactones produced in the latex render lettuce bitter when it bolts.
Saving Seed: Saving lettuce seed is easy! Leave spring-planted lettuce heads to bolt. Flowers will become white tufted seeds. Once dry on stalk, rub seeds off the plant into a paper bag. To ensure true-to-type seed, separate lettuce varieties by 10 feet.
Diseases:
BOR: Bottom Rot
DM: Downy Mildew
LMV: Lettuce Mosaic Virus
PM: Powdery Mildew
SC: Sclerotinia
TB: Tipburn
X: Xanthemonas
Pest: Aster Leafhopper (vector for Aster Yellows disease) Cultural controls: control perennial broadleaf weeds near lettuce plantings, plow lettuce fields immediately after harvest.
Pest: Slug Cultural controls: avoid mulch or nearby grassy areas. Material: Sluggo
Disease: Bottom Rot Cultural controls: rotate with grass-family green manures, plant in well-drained soil or on raised beds, more upright varieties escape infection.
Major Diseases: Downy Mildew, Grey Mold, White Mold Cultural controls: rotation, reduce duration of leaf wetness, plant parallel to prevailing winds, use wide spacing, control weeds, use well-drained fields in spring and fall. Material controls: MilStop
Germination Testing
For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.
Our Seeds are Non-GMO
All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.
This item is certified organic