Plant Finder
Butterhead Lettuce
Lactuca sativa var. capitata
Height: 12 inches
Spacing: 8 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
Beautiful varieties that feature a center head encased in leaves; shades of greens and cream make up this grouping; cool weather performer, lovely in containers and gardens; mild to sweet and tender to crisp, ideal type for salads, sandwiches and burgers
Edible Qualities
Butterhead Lettuce is an annual vegetable plant that is typically grown for its edible qualities. The crinkled oval green leaves which emerge light green in spring are usually harvested from mid spring to early fall. The leaves have a mild taste and a soft texture.
The leaves are most often used in the following ways:
- Fresh Eating
- Eating When Cooked/Prepared
Planting & Growing
Butterhead Lettuce will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 8 inches apart. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop. Because of its relatively short time to maturity, it lends itself to a series of successive plantings each staggered by a week or two; this will prolong the effective harvest period.
This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average conditions that are neither too wet nor too dry, and is very intolerant of standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. This species is not originally from North America..
Butterhead Lettuce is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing the canvas against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
