Kitchen Garden Forum

I went to an Open day under the NHS scheme yesterday and was fascinated by several different varieties of red lettuce growing in their kitchen garden. There was nobody around I could ask to find out what they were. Can anybody suggest some good ones to grow? There was once particular variety, with quite frizzy leaves which looked especially unusual. Any idea what it might have been? It almost looked like an endive but I'm sure it wasn't.

Hi, this is probably not the vairety you are looking for but Marshalls do a fantastic red Lettu ce called "Marshalls".

It is an upright vairety, a bit like a romanesco and it is the best lettuce I have ever had, and I dont like lettuce.

regards Tracie

Hi Primrose

There are vast numbers of red varieties - the frizzy-leaved one was quite probably Lollo Rossa



There are a few more to look at here......

http://www.tozerseeds.com/red-lettuce/

We grow lots of mixed coloured lettuce - not only does it add interest to salads but also looks good when growing. The packet just says mixed. We have also had red salad bowl which is good. Most seed companies sell it.

No Alan, they definitely weren't Lollo rosso, which I already grow. These three varieties of red lettuce had no green in them at all. All the leaves were dark red, like the colour of beetroot or even darker.

Hi Primrose, seeds of italy do a deep red lettuce called salad bowl

http://www.seedsofitaly.com/product/69


some more red lettuce here

http://www.tozerseeds.com/red-lettuce/

This year we have Dixter and Exbury as plain red Lettuce with a few Red Salad Bowl. We have also grown Red Velvet in the past but they didn't germinate this year. If you want just red edges we like Bronze Arrowhead and American Red. Might manage some photos tomorrow.

I grow Dazzle a red gem type and Marshall (as mentioned )which is more like a red cos type though not as crunchy.
Personally I grow them 'cos they look nice and my lovely neighbours enjoy them ,I would always prefer a good cos like Claremont

Picture as promised - not my best but dull and rainy.



PS : This is what Mustard Red Frills really looks like rather than the strange picture in this month's magazine.

PPS : Forgot I also mentioned American Red (top) and Bronze Arrowhead (bottom)

Primrose, if you are looking for a bright and attractive veggie border seeds of italy also do a climbing borlotti bean fire tongue, that's bright red.
http://www.seedsofitaly.com/product/249

Nature's Babe wrote:Primrose, if you are looking for a bright and attractive veggie border seeds of italy also do a climbing borlotti bean fire tongue, that's bright red.

But only at the end of its life

Mostly it's dull green.

Geoff/Nature's Babe. Thanks for your suggestions and for the photos Geoff. As one of my vegetable growing areas is a long border in which I like to have some summer colour, those red lettuces are definitely going to feature in my future growing plan.
In previous years, I tried growing some pretty purple self seeded Morning Glory amongst my tomato and climbing beans but far from being an annual as the catalogues suggest, their darned seeds keep popping up everywhere in Spring and they've turned into a pest, so I've had to eliminate them from from my colour scheme!

Lettuces can look really ornamental - this is how I once planted a few varieties on our plot - problem came when we wanted to eat them!