Lettuce, ‘La Brillante’

(Lactuca sativa) Eric, from the Willy Wonka factory of lettuce breeding, Wild Garden Seed, upped our lettuce game at Uprising with his enthusiasm for the crop. Digging through the listings of the national GRIN germplasm database, he found several commercially bred castoffs that never saw the light of day or were inexplicably dropped from the seed trade. Brilllante is one such variety, somewhat famous for being the source of the gene that confers resistance to verticillium wilt, now widely found in all modern lettuces which display that trait. While we love deep reds in lettuce, we appreciate a good green just as much, if not more so. Bright chartreuse green heads grow quite large and remind us quite a bit of an all-green version of one of our very favorite lettuces, Grandpa Admires. If left in the field long enough, the hearts form a loose head of deliciously folded and crunchy leaves. Why it never made the big time, we’ll never know, but it’s become a keeper in our collection.
55-60 days. AV

Packet: 1g (~800 seeds)

[split]

Growing Info

SOWING:

Sow indoors 2-4 weeks before your last frost. Seeds germinate best below 70F.

Transplant out 3-4 week-old plants.

Direct seed after last frost.

Sow every 3 weeks until 6 weeks before first Fall frost date for constant lettuce.

Note: Seeds will become dormant if exposed to high temperatures. Lettuce grows best in cooler weather.

PLANTING DEPTH:

1/8″

SPACING:

10-12″ in rows 12-15″ apart.

EMERGENCE:

5-7 days @ soil temp 68F and lower.

LIGHT:

Full sun to part shade

FERTILITY:

Medium. Prefers well-drained, with balanced fertility and evenly moist soil. Lettuce is sensitive to low pH.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Uneven watering can result in tip burn, the browning of the leaf margins, which is caused by the plant’s inability to move calcium to the growing edge fast enough to meet its growth needs. If this seems to be a problem, consistent, evenly moist soil or calcium amendments can be beneficial.

Hot weather can cause premature bolting. Generally, when the plants begin to stretch upwards (to flower), the leaves become bitter, and the eating quality is poor.