A real sweetheart of a lettuce, Valentine combines magnificent beauty with mild sweet taste. Beginning as a large spreading bronzed butterhead with rounded veined leaves, it matures into a romaine shape. Has been very slow to bolt even in hot dry conditions. Flavor is more delicate and less bitter before it assumes romaine configuration.
Supplier Transparency:
① Small seed farmers including Fedco staff
| Variety | Product Type | Hybrid Status | Days to Maturity | Lifecycle | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Thumb | seeds | open pollinated | 46 days | annual | green |
| Bronze Mignonette | seeds | open pollinated | 46 days | annual | bronze-tinged green |
|
Garnet Butter Gem Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 48 days | annual | red-tinged green |
|
Carmona Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 50 days | annual | red-tinged green |
| Buttercrunch | seeds | open pollinated | 50 days | annual | dark green |
|
Buttercrunch Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 50 days | annual | dark green |
|
North Pole Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 51 days | annual | lime green |
|
Optima Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 52 days | annual | dark green |
|
Winter Marvel Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 52 days | annual | light green |
|
Pirat Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 55 days | annual | brown-speckled green |
|
Speckled Amish Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 55 days | annual | maroon-speckled green |
|
Sweet Valentine Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 56 days | annual | bronzed green |
| Kagraner Sommer | seeds | open pollinated | 58 days | annual | light green |
|
Nancy Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 58 days | annual | medium green |
|
Capitan Organic |
seeds | open pollinated | 62 days | annual | light green |
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:
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
For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.
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.
From early May through mid-December, items shipping from our garden seeds warehouse ship twice a week, usually Tuesday and Thursday. For quickest turnaround time order online by noon Monday or Wednesday.
