Black Seeded Simpson Looseleaf Lettuce - Organic

Black Seeded Simpson
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Black Seeded Simpson Looseleaf Lettuce - Organic

Lactuca sativa
(42 days) The earliest and most popular looseleaf variety. “One of our absolute favorites for early season production with heads up to 16" diameter,” says NY market lettuce grower Lisa Bloodnick. Large loose crumpled juicy light-green leaves slightly ruffled and blistered. Inner leaves tender and well blanched. Does not stand heat well; sow as early as ground can be worked. Probably originally from England circa 1850, this heirloom was introduced by Peter Henderson & Co. of New York around 1875. Showed some tolerance to germination in warm temperatures. Resists DM and TB. ②


2712 Black Seeded Simpson - Organic
Item Discounted
Price
A: 1g for $3.00  
B: 4g for $4.25  
C: 14g for $6.50  
D: 28g for $9.00  
E: 112g for $22.00  
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Additional Information

Lettuce

  • All lettuce is open-pollinated.
  • 700–1100 seeds/1g pkt.
  • 1 gram packet sows 25 ft; 2 grams, 50 ft; 1 oz, 500–700 ft.
  • Days to maturity are from emergence after direct sowing; for transplants, subtract 20 days.

Culture: Direct seed outdoors as soon as ground can be worked and repeat every 2 weeks for continuous supply. Or start indoors in March and at regular intervals thereafter for early transplanted successions. Optimal germination temperature range 40–70° though many varieties won’t germinate in soil temps above 75° and most shut down above 80°. Thin sowings frequently and ruthlessly to a final distance of 1' for full heads. Heavy nitrogen feeders.

Hardy. All save icebergs tolerate heavy frost. Fall and overwintered harvests are becoming standard practice. For summer harvest, select varieties carefully: bolting, bottom rot and tipburn are problems if a variety can’t take the heat! Using shade cloth can keep lettuce tender and sweet longer into summer. Sesquiterpene lactones produced in the latex render lettuce bitter when it bolts.

Saving Seed: Saving lettuce seed is easy! Leave spring-planted lettuce heads to bolt. Flowers will become white tufted seeds. Once dry on stalk, rub seeds off the plant into a paper bag. To ensure true-to-type seed, separate lettuce varieties by 10 feet.

Diseases:

  • BOR: Bottom Rot
  • DM: Downy Mildew
  • LMV: Lettuce Mosaic Virus
  • PM: Powdery Mildew
  • SC: Sclerotinia
  • TB: Tipburn
  • X: Xanthemonas

Pest: Aster Leafhopper (vector for Aster Yellows disease)
Cultural controls: control perennial broadleaf weeds near lettuce plantings, plow lettuce fields immediately after harvest.

Pest: Slug
Cultural controls: avoid mulch or nearby grassy areas.
Material: Sluggo

Disease: Bottom Rot
Cultural controls: rotate with grass-family green manures, plant in well-drained soil or on raised beds, more upright varieties escape infection.

Major Diseases: Downy Mildew, Grey Mold, White Mold
Cultural controls: rotation, reduce duration of leaf wetness, plant parallel to prevailing winds, use wide spacing, control weeds, use well-drained fields in spring and fall.
Material controls: MilStop

Mini-heads

Mini lettuce heads are increasingly popular for wholesale accounts and winter harvests. Home gardeners with a succession of minis can reap quick single salads. You’ll find minis across the cold-hardiness and heat-tolerance spectrum. We’ve held these little class acts up against the expanding utility-patented mini-types and found comparable or better performance. While we do not intend to “go big” on tiny types, we add excellence as we find it. Here’s what we have so far:

Germination Testing

For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.