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Red Salad Bowl lettuce

Trying to find a delicious and new lettuce variety to add to your salad repertoire? Try this beautiful burgundy version of classic Salad Bowl Lettuce!

Red Salad Bowl lettuce is a beautiful bronzed burgundy version of the classic green Salad Bowl lettuce. Red Salad Bowl is an oak leaf lettuce variety with an open head. It is also warm weather tolerant and slow to bolt when temperatures rise. The flavor does not get bitter as it matures as some varieties do. This loose-leaf variety grows very quickly and is ready for harvest in roughly 28 days.

Read on to learn all about Red Salad Bowl lettuce!

Salad bowl lettuce seedlings

Red Salad bowl lettuce basics

Red Salad Bowl Lettuce is a newer variety of lettuce bred to complement the original Salad Bowl lettuce. The typical Salad Bowl Lettuce has green leaves, while Red Salad Bowl Lettuce is more of a burgundy color. The two varieties are commonly grown and served together for a colorful salad of oak-leaved lettuce.

Lettuce is easy to grow, and this variety is one of the easiest. Red Salad Bowl Lettuce is open-pollinated just like the classic version, making it perfect for seed saving.

Lettuce seeds from west coast seeds

Buying seeds for Red Salad Bowl lettuce

Having trouble finding Red Salad Bowl Lettuce Seeds? Here are a few of my favorite companies for buying seeds.

Red salad bowl lettuce

Planting Red Salad Bowl lettuce

There are many ways to plant your lettuce plants. Each has its own pros and cons. Take a look at how each works and determine which will work best for you and your garden.

Red Salad Bowl can be planted in the garden as seeds right in the soil, or transplanted as seedling baby plants. Seeding in the soil is typically best if you’re harvesting baby greens, while transplanting seedlings allows for more careful spacing if you’d like to harvest whole heads at once.

Planting lettuce seeds indoors for later transplanting

When planting your seeds indoors, it is recommended to do it 3-4 weeks before they are to be transplanted outdoors. Sow one seed per cell. If you have lots of seeds, you can add more to each cell but you may want to trim down the weaker seedlings as they grow to let the stronger ones remain.

Planting salad bowl red lettuce in the garden

Transplanting lettuce seedlings outdoors

Transplanting lettuce seedlings outdoors is more expensive from the start because the seedlings are more costly than seeds. While it is a tad more expensive, it is an easier option because the plants have already started growing and may last better once transplanted. This is the best option for new gardeners who are starting later in springtime (although it’s great to get experience sowing seeds as well!).

Planting lettuce seeds outdoors

Planting your lettuce outdoors is the cheapest option and requires the least amount of initial startup work, but it can be labor-intensive when it comes to managing the plants and making sure weeds don’t overtake their space. It can be hard to control plant spacing as well.

To start your outdoor planting project, make sure the soil you will be working with is moist and weed-free. Rake it flat if you are able.

Spacing requires a little thought. Baby greens like to be spaced quite closely as a dense row of seeds. For fuller-leaved lettuce, plant up to 3 seeds every 8″-12″ (and thin them later to leave only the strongest seedling in each location).

The seeds should be planted at a shallow depth, no more than 1/4″ deep. They are essentially barely covered with soil and will likely germinate perfectly fine while resting on top of the soil. Keep the soil moist and cool to allow for proper lettuce seed germination. The seeds should germinate in about a week.

Salad bowl red lettuce

Growing Red Salad Bowl lettuce

When growing Red Salad Bowl Lettuce crops, you want to keep your soil between 40°-75°F (4°-24°C) if possible. Keep an eye on temperatures in your area and check the soil before you begin planting seeds or seedlings.

Use a gentle water breaker nozzle to water your crops or use drip irrigation if you have that option. One of the most important factors when growing lettuce is keeping the soil moist almost all of the time while the plants are small. It promotes seed germination and healthy initial root growth.

Use an organic fertilizer if your soil needs extra nutrients, and pull out any weeds that may pop up over time.

How to harvest Red Salad Bowl lettuce

Since Red Salad Bowl Lettuce is a leaf lettuce, you will want to harvest it with very sharp gardening scissors or a gardening knife.

If you wish to harvest the whole head, use the knife to cut off the plant at the base. If you want to harvest just a few leaves, cut them about one inch above the soil. This will allow the plant to continue to grow.

Recipes for Red Salad Bowl lettuce

Red Salad Bowl Lettuce makes for a beautiful salad. Add it to any of your salads, top it with your favorite veggies, croutons, and vinaigrette, and you have a delicious salad to enjoy.

Here are a few amazing recipes you can use your lettuce with:

Bring them to a barbeque or serve them at home for a tasty lunch or dinner side.

Mary Jane Duford
Mary Jane Duford

Mary Jane Duford is a passionate gardener and well-acclaimed authority in the world of horticulture. As a certified Master Gardener and Permaculture Garden Designer with over a decade of hands-on experience, she has honed her skills to cultivate a deeper understanding of the natural world around us. Beyond her gardening prowess, Mary Jane holds a distinct edge as a Professional Engineer, an expertise that often intertwines with her gardening methodologies, bringing a unique perspective to her readers.

She is the proud founder of the renowned gardening website, Home for the Harvest, a platform dedicated to helping fellow gardeners, both novice and experienced, find their green thumbs. Her gardening expertise hasn't gone unnoticed; she's been spotlighted as a go-to gardening expert by notable publications like Better Homes & Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Mother Earth News, Real Simple, and the National Garden Bureau.

Delving deep into specific fields of study within horticulture, Mary Jane has an extensive knowledge base on sustainable gardening practices (including permaculture), soil science, and selecting cultivars well-suited to home gardeners. Her passion isn't just limited to plants; she's a staunch advocate for holistic, eco-friendly gardening techniques that benefit both flora and fauna.

Currently residing in the picturesque Okanagan Valley, Mary Jane cherishes the time she spends with her family amidst nature, always exploring, learning, and growing both as a gardener and as an individual.

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