lactuca sativa

Annual plant, open pollinated. 

Pirat lettuce is a beautiful butterhead type that bears crinkled dark green leaves with crimson edges, with some speckling (pebbling), forming a dense head the size of a softball. 

This is an heirloom variety that is native to the German Alps, apparently a descendant of the French heirloom Merveille des Quatre Saisons, besting its predecessor for heat tolerance and resistance to bolting (and merveille des 4 saisons is incredibly heat tolerant!). It is known by a handful of German names, such as: Spenkel (meaning speckled), Brauner Trotzkopf (meaning brown stubborn-head, referencing the lettuce’s resistance to bolting), and Pirat (meaning pirate). It is a favorite amongst gardeners for its beauty, taste, and resistance to downy midlew, tip burn and white mold. 

Days to maturity: 55 days

200 seeps per pack.

Seed starting:

Lettuce can be started indoors or directly seeded in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. If starting indoors, sow 2-3 seeds per pot and thin to one. Transplant outdoors after 3 weeks. If direct seeding outdoors, for full sized heads plant 3 seeds per 8 inches, and thin to one seedling per group. Cover the soil every so lightly! 

Sow every three weeks for a continuous supply all summer long. 

Companion plants: carrots, radish, cucumbers, beans.