Butterhead Lettuce Lilloise - Lactuca sativa

Lactuca sativa 'Lille' is an old variety, originating from Lille, with a smooth and tightly packed head, measuring 30cm (12in). It bears thin and curly pale green leaves. Its growth is fast, but it is sensitive to the sun. Ideally, grow it in spring and autumn. Sow the seeds from February to April, and then in July and August. Harvest from March to June, and then from August to October.

Lettuce is one of the most popular salad vegetables (with a consumption of 4.2 kilograms per person per year). It is equally appreciated for its freshness, crispness, its taste, and nutritional qualities. It can be consumed raw in salads, but also cooked, to accompany peas, for example.

As the ultimate leafy vegetable, lettuce is an annual plant belonging to the large Asteraceae family. Its Latin name, Lactuca sativa, refers both to the white sap (lactuca) that oozes when it is cut and to the fact that it is cultivated (sativa).

It is an important part of any respectable vegetable garden, and there are so many varieties that it can be cultivated almost all year round. Lettuce cultivation is easy as long as the cultivation calendar for each variety is respected. Its growth is fast, and it thrives in any soil that is rich and remains moist.

Harvest: cut with a knife when it reaches maturity.

Storage: lettuce can be stored for a few days in the refrigerator, but to fully enjoy its freshness, we recommend consuming it immediately after harvesting.

Gardener's tip: during hot summer weather, lettuces exposed to direct sunlight tend to wilt. To prevent this, consider protecting them from intense rays by using overturned crates. Instead of growing summer lettuces in rows, consider growing them at the base of climbing beans, or amidst cucumbers and squashes, whose foliage provides beneficial shade.