Oakleaf Lettuce Seeds
Heirloom, Sow Year Round
Technically a heading lettuce, but best picked leaf by leaf: large, tender and not bitter, which wins over fussy salad eaters.
- Sow any time of year in Perth
- Large, tender leaves, not bitter
- Copes with most soils and part shade
- Pick leaf by leaf, it keeps giving
For Christmas, order by 16 December, or 18 December in WA. All dates
Technically a heading lettuce, though it is best picked leaf by leaf. Large, tender and not bitter, which is what wins over fussy salad eaters. It is not fussy itself either: it copes with a wide range of soil types and with partial shade. Its main requirement is water. Roughly 200 seeds in a packet.
Key Features
- Sow any time of year. In temperate zones, Perth included.
- Not bitter. Large, tender leaves for salad.
- Forgiving. It copes with many soil types and partially shaded spots.
- Best picked leaf by leaf. So one plant keeps giving.
- Heirloom variety. So you can save seed from mature plants.
- Approximately 200 seeds per packet. Enough to sow in succession.
Pūrē Standard
- A year-round crop, which almost nothing else here is. Little Veggie Patch Co list Zone 2 as anytime for oakleaf. For a Perth garden that means one packet is not a seasonal purchase, it is a standing supply.
- Two hundred seeds in one packet. Sow a short row every few weeks rather than all at once and you will have salad continuously instead of forty lettuces in one fortnight.
- It forgives the things beginners get wrong. Poor soil, part shade, imperfect siting. The one thing it will not forgive is drying out, and the brand says so plainly rather than pretending it is bulletproof.
- Heirloom means it keeps going. Let one plant bolt and set seed at the end of the run and you have next year's packet.
- On seed treatment. Little Veggie Patch Co disclose chemical seed treatment where it applies, and carry a Thiram note on the handful of imported lines it affects. This packet carries no such note. They do not publish a germination rate or packing date.
Overall score:
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Low-Tox & Material Safety | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5) |
| Sustainability | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5) |
| Manufacturing Transparency | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5) |
| Packaging | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5) |
How to Use
- Do not use fresh manure. Prepare the bed with compost and well-rotted manure and let the soil settle for one to two weeks before planting. Fresh manure tends to burn younger lettuce seedlings. A green manure worked in as part of the preparation is ideal.
- Soil pH. 6.5 to 7.5.
- Sow on the surface. Or into punnets to transplant once germinated. Keep an eye out that the birds do not peck at the seed, since it sits on top.
- Spacing and depth. 20cm apart, 0.5 to 1cm deep.
- Position. Full sun, though it will tolerate some shade.
- Water is its main requirement. Let it dry out and it turns bitter and bolts.
- Pick from the outside in. Leaf by leaf rather than cutting the whole plant, and one lettuce will feed you for weeks.
When to Plant
- Oakleaf is unusually generous. It has the widest window of any seed in the range.
- Zone 1, cool. September to May.
- Zone 2, temperate. Any time.
- Zone 3, subtropical. Any time.
- Zone 4, tropical. February to November.
- Perth and the south-west are Zone 2. So you can sow this whenever you like. Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and most of the southern half of the country are Zone 2 as well.
Product Details
- Variety. Lactuca sativa, "Oakleaf", heirloom.
- Seed count. Approximately 200 per packet.
- Companion plants. Radish, bean and carrot.
- Packaging. Plain paper seed packet.
- Sourcing. Little Veggie Patch Co source their seed locally and in small batches.
- Interstate customers. Some states restrict the entry of seed and plant material. Check your own state's plant biosecurity rules if you are unsure.
Choose options
For Christmas, order by 16 December, or 18 December in WA. All dates
Our Take
Frilly, forgiving and fast, the lettuce for anyone who wants cut-and-come-again salad without a horticulture degree. Not bitter, not fussy, and in Perth you can sow it any time of year.
Pūrēly Organic
Good to know
Frequently asked
When should I sow lettuce in Perth?
Any time. Perth and the south-west are in Little Veggie Patch Co's Zone 2, and for oakleaf they list Zone 2 as anytime, so this is genuinely a year-round sowing. Zone 1 (cool) is September to May and Zone 4 (tropical) is February to November.
Should I use fresh manure?
No. Little Veggie Patch Co warn that fresh manure tends to burn younger lettuce seedlings. Prepare the bed with compost and well-rotted manure, and let the soil settle for one to two weeks before planting. A green manure worked in beforehand is ideal.
How do I sow the seeds?
Sow on the surface of the bed, or into punnets to transplant once germinated. Space 20cm apart at 0.5 to 1cm deep, at a soil pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Because the seed sits on the surface, keep an eye out that birds do not peck at it.
How much water does it need?
Water is its main requirement. Oakleaf copes with a range of soils and with partial shade, but it will not forgive being allowed to dry out.
Is it a heading or a loose-leaf lettuce?
Technically a heading type, but Little Veggie Patch Co recommend picking it leaf by leaf, which is also how you get the longest harvest from one plant.
How many seeds are in a packet?
Approximately 200.
What grows well nearby?
Little Veggie Patch Co recommend radish, bean and carrot.
