There are so many lettuce
varieties available to gardeners, it can get a little overwhelming. All
those leaves can start to look the same, and picking the right seeds to plant
can start to seem impossible. Reading this article will help illuminate at
least one of those varieties. Keep reading to learn more about growing Emerald
Oak lettuce.
Emerald Oak Lettuce Info
What is Emerald Oak lettuce? This cultivar is a cross
between two other lettuce varieties: Blushed Butter Oak and Deer Tongue. It was
originally developed in 2003 by Frank and Karen Morton, owners of Wild Garden Seed, who over the years
have bred countless new kinds of greens.
It is apparently a favorite on the Morton farm. The lettuce
grows in dense, compact heads of rounded leaves that are a shade of bright
green you could easily describe as “emerald.” It has juicy, buttery heads that
are known for their flavor.
It can be harvested young for baby salad greens, or it can
be grown to maturity and harvested all at once for its tasty outer leaves and
pleasant, tightly packed hearts. It is especially resistant to tipburn,
yet another plus.
Growing Emerald Oak Lettuce at Home
The lettuce “Emerald Oak” variety can be grown much like any
other kind of lettuce.
It likes neutral soil, though it can tolerate some acidity or alkalinity.
It needs moderate water and partial to full sun, and it
grows best in cool weather. When temperatures get too high, it will bolt.
That means it should be planted either in early spring (a few weeks before the
last frost of spring) or late summer for a fall crop.
You can sow your seeds directly in the ground under a thin
layer of soil, or start them indoors even earlier and transplant them out as
the last frost approaches. Heads of the Emerald Oak lettuce variety take about
60 days to reach maturity, but small individual leaves can be harvested
earlier.
There are so many lettuce
varieties available to gardeners, it can get a little overwhelming. All
those leaves can start to look the same, and picking the right seeds to plant
can start to seem impossible. Reading this article will help illuminate at
least one of those varieties. Keep reading to learn more about growing Emerald
Oak lettuce.
Emerald Oak Lettuce Info
What is Emerald Oak lettuce? This cultivar is a cross
between two other lettuce varieties: Blushed Butter Oak and Deer Tongue. It was
originally developed in 2003 by Frank and Karen Morton, owners of Wild Garden Seed, who over the years
have bred countless new kinds of greens.
It is apparently a favorite on the Morton farm. The lettuce
grows in dense, compact heads of rounded leaves that are a shade of bright
green you could easily describe as “emerald.” It has juicy, buttery heads that
are known for their flavor.
It can be harvested young for baby salad greens, or it can
be grown to maturity and harvested all at once for its tasty outer leaves and
pleasant, tightly packed hearts. It is especially resistant to tipburn,
yet another plus.
Growing Emerald Oak Lettuce at Home
The lettuce “Emerald Oak” variety can be grown much like any
other kind of lettuce.
It likes neutral soil, though it can tolerate some acidity or alkalinity.
It needs moderate water and partial to full sun, and it
grows best in cool weather. When temperatures get too high, it will bolt.
That means it should be planted either in early spring (a few weeks before the
last frost of spring) or late summer for a fall crop.
You can sow your seeds directly in the ground under a thin
layer of soil, or start them indoors even earlier and transplant them out as
the last frost approaches. Heads of the Emerald Oak lettuce variety take about
60 days to reach maturity, but small individual leaves can be harvested
earlier.