Picking lettuce Black seeded Simpson is an orangicaly grown, fast growing, loose-leaved lettuce variety. It's an old Heirloom European variety and is known as a very frosts resistant variety. It doesn't forms heads but loose leaves, these leaves are wrinkled, yellow-green and slightly pucked. It has a very delicious flavour and very tender leaves with a nice texture. Picking lettuce Black Seeded Simpson is a classic American heirloom variety dating back to the 19th century and has been appreciated for generations for its rapid growth, high yields and excellent flavour. The plants form a loose rosette of large, deeply curled, light green leaves that are tender, juicy and wonderfully crisp. Its medium-sized growth habit makes it ideal as a cut-and-come-again lettuce. The outer leaves can be harvested repeatedly while the plant continues producing fresh foliage over a long period. Picking lettuce Black Seeded Simpson is also more heat tolerant than many other lettuce varieties, making it slower to bolt, while it also performs exceptionally well under cooler conditions.
Culinarily, Picking lettuce Black Seeded Simpson is extremely versatile. Its mild, fresh and slightly sweet flavour makes it an excellent base for salads. The crisp leaves pair perfectly with tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, carrots, peppers, avocado, apples, nuts, eggs, chicken, smoked salmon and both mild and strong cheeses. Thanks to their firm texture, the leaves remain pleasantly crisp even after dressing has been added. They are also ideal for sandwiches, wraps, burgers and as a fresh garnish for fish, meat, poultry and vegetarian dishes. The young leaves can also be harvested as baby leaves, offering an even more tender texture. This easy-to-grow variety develops quickly and provides an abundant harvest of fresh, flavourful leaves over a long harvesting season. Non hardy annual. Height: 20 - 30 cm.
Indoor sowing/outdoor sowing under glass: early April
Outdoor sowing: from May on
Germination: 7 - 10 days
Germination temp.: 10 - 18 °C
Sowing depth: ½ cm
Planting distance: 35 - 40 cm
Planting position: sunny
Days til harvesting: 40 - 45 days
Start sowing picking lettuce indoors or under glass in April in pots or seed trays filled with light, moist seed compost. Sow the seeds thinly and cover them with approximately ½ cm of fine seed compost. Keep the soil consistently moist during germination, but avoid waterlogging. At a temperature of 10 - 18 °C, the first seedlings usually emerge within 7 - 10 days. Once the seedlings have developed a few true leaves and the risk of night frost has passed, harden them off before transplanting them to a sunny location. Space the plants 35 - 40 cm apart to allow them to develop a large, loose rosette of leaves.
From May onwards, picking lettuce can also be sown directly outdoors once the danger of night frost has passed. Sow in rows spaced 35 - 40 cm apart. Place two to three seeds every 35 - 40 cm and cover them with approximately ½ cm of soil. Keep the soil evenly moist during germination. After 3 - 4 weeks, thin the seedlings to the strongest plant at each sowing position. Leaf lettuce grows best in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil that retains sufficient moisture. Water regularly, especially during warm and dry periods, to prevent bolting and bitterness. Applying a layer of mulch helps retain soil moisture and suppress weeds.
The first leaves can be harvested approximately 45 days after sowing. Harvest the outer leaves while leaving the centre of the plant intact, allowing it to continue producing fresh leaves over a long period. By sowing a small quantity every one to two weeks, you can enjoy a continuous supply of fresh leaf lettuce throughout most of the growing season. Protect young plants from slugs, particularly during damp weather, and check regularly for aphids so that any infestation can be dealt with promptly.
