Wild Lettuce — Miner's Lettuce Heirloom

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Montia perfoliata syn. Claytonia perforiata Known also as Winter Purslane due to the succulence of its leaves and stems, this native California weed is actually sweet tasting, not tart like true purslane. Leaves grow individually on long stems, but should be cut to no more than 5cm (2") in length. Harvest with scissors, just above the crown of the plants and it will grow back up to three times. Don't allow it to flower unless you're saving Miners Lettuce Claytonia Seeds. Claytonia is quite cold hardy. Given some protection, it can be grown all winter.

Matures in 55 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Quick Facts:

Sweet tasting
Will grow back up to three times after cut
Leaves grow individually on long stems
Open pollinated seeds
Matures in 55 days

Size: 0.5g ( approx. 845 seeds)

How To Grow: Lettuce can be harvested from the garden from late spring to the late fall, and sometimes (given a bit of protection) all winter. The high protein chlorophyll in the dark-green leaves is highly nutritious. Salads are not complete without these leafy greens. Read more below on how to grow lettuce from seed.

Difficulty
Easy

Season & Zone
Season: Cool season
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Timing
Seed every three weeks from just before the last frost date until the end of summer for a continuous harvest. Provide frost protection with a cloche or heavy row cover when frost looms in the fall. Many mesclun types and mixes will continue to grow all winter where winters are mild.

Starting

Plant in a block or in a wide row. Sprinkle the seeds evenly over prepared, moist soil. Try to space seeds about 1cm (½”) apart. Cover lightly with soil, and firm them in. Four grams of seed will plant a 12m (40′) row that is 7cm (3″) wide, so don’t plant the whole packet at once. For container growing, choose containers that are at least 10cm (4″) deep. Wider is better. The most common mistake is over-planting.

Days to Maturity: From direct sowing.

Growing
Moderately fertile soil – particularly if you’re planning mutliple harvests. Dig in 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer for every 3m (10′) of row. For containers, use peat or coir based mix with compost added. Water regularly. If growth slows after harvest, use a bit of kelp or fish based fertilizer to provide a boost of nutrition for the next growth spurt.

Harvest
There are two methods of gathering salad greens. You can use scissors to cut everything about 2-5cm (1-2″) from the ground, when the plants are about 10-15cm (3-4″) tall. Or, you can pick individual leaves as they’re needed. The first cutting may contain more brassicas than lettuces (arugula, mizuna) but if you cut the mix back when the leaves are still small, the lettuce will catch up. The salad greens will regrow for a second harvest in another 2 or 3 weeks.

Seed Info
In optimal growing conditions at least 70% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 240 seeds head lettuce/1.2M seeds leaf type, per acre: 58M seeds head lettuce/348M leaf type.

Diseases & Pests
Slugs love baby greens and flea beetles love brassica leaves.

Companion Planting

Lettuce plants make good companions for beets, Brassicas, carrot, celery, chervil, cucumbers, dill, garlic, onions, radish, spinach, squash, and strawberries.

Rating: 5.0 stars based on 3 reviews from westcoastseeds.com