Lettuce Rougette de Montpellier - Lactuca sativa

The Montpellier Red Lettuce is a Winter Lettuce, hardy and harvested in the spring. It withstands the cold well and quickly forms pretty little heads composed of smooth and thick leaves, green tinged with red. It is a variety well adapted to southern regions that is sown in August - September for a harvest in April - May.

If Lettuce is one of the most popular vegetables (consumed at a rate of 4.2 kilograms per year per person), it is equally appreciated for its freshness, crunchiness, as well as its taste and nutritional qualities. It can be consumed raw in salads but also cooked, braised or stewed, to accompany peas, for example.

The ultimate leaf vegetable, Lettuce is an annual plant that belongs to the large family of Asteraceae. Its Latin name, Lactuca sativa, refers both to the white sap (lactuca) that flows when it is cut and to the fact that it is cultivated (sativa).

It is an essential vegetable in any respectable vegetable garden, and there are so many varieties that it can be grown almost all year round. Winter Lettuces are hardy and resistant to the cold. Their development is slower than that of summer Lettuces, so they should be sown in late summer / early autumn for a harvest the following spring.

Growing Lettuce is easy as long as you follow the cultivation calendar for each variety. It grows quickly and thrives in any soil, as long as it is rich and remains moist.

Harvest: It is simply done with a knife when the Lettuces are well developed.

Storage: Lettuce can be stored for a few days in the refrigerator, but to enjoy its freshness to the fullest, we recommend consuming it just after harvesting. Freezing cooked Lettuce is also possible.

Gardener's Tip: A true nightmare for gardeners, slugs and snails love lettuce leaves. When the hunt is on, it must be admitted that one is ready to do anything to repel or eliminate them: the ash cord (which will be quickly leached by the rain), the homemade trap filled with beer (which intoxicates hedgehogs to the point of ethylic coma), the copper bands that are supposed to electrocute them (which tickle them a little).

Instead of wasting your time and, incidentally, your lettuces, we recommend using an anti-slug product composed of ferric phosphate known as Ferramol. Unlike metaldehyde-based slug repellents, which are dangerous for wildlife and polluting, Ferramol is natural, non-toxic, and very effective as long as you remember to "treat" your plot a few days before sowing.

.