Scientific Name: Lactuca sativa

Common Names: Lettuce 'Freckles', Cos Lettuce 'Freckles', Romaine Lettuce 'Freckles'

Family: Asteraceae

Origin:

Freckles lettuce is an old heirloom variety that was first bred in Austria during the late 18th century.  The German name of this variety is "Forellenschluss" which translate roughly to "speckled like a trout" a reference to the burgundy spots on the leaves.

Culinary Uses:

Freckles is a mild-flavoured romaine (cos) lettuce and its crisp, burgundy-speckled leaves make a great tasting and attractive Caesar salad.  Individual lettuce leaves can also be added to sandwiches and wraps.  If you end up growing more lettuce than you're able to eat as salad you can also use lettuce as a cooked green vegetable, it tastes great in quick dishes like stir-fries.

Growing Tips:

Lettuce will grow best in full sun in cooler climates or in part shade in warmer climates.  Growing lettuce in full sun in warmer climates will cause heat-stress on plants.  Lettuce plants that are stressed are more likely to bolt to seed.  Water lettuce plants every day and mulch around them to retain soil moisture and prevent wilting.  Freckles is more heat resistant and less likely to bolt than other heirloom lettuce varieties.  Lettuce grows best in a free-draining soil rich in organic matter, if your soil is lacking place down a layer of compost or well-rotted manure prior to planting.  If growth is slow or at the first sign of leaf yellowing top dress around lettuce plants with an organic fertiliser, preferable one that is rich in nitrogen such as blood and bone.  If you have possums in your area net your lettuce plants to prevent them being munched on.

When to Sow:

In cold and mountainous regions of Australia sow freckles lettuce seed during Spring and Summer.  In temperate regions of Australia freckles lettuce seed can be sown year round.  In subtropical regions of Australia sow freckles lettuce seed from early Autumn to early Spring.

How to Sow:

Lettuce seeds require light to reach them in order to germinate so should be sown no greater than 4mm deep.  Lettuce seeds can be surface sown and covered with a fine sprinkling of growing mix.  Press down gently to ensure good contact between the lettuce seeds and the moist growing media, this will help to prevent the germinating seeds drying out between waterings.  If starting lettuce in punnets sow several seeds per hole and thin to the healthiest seedlings a week after germination, doing this will ensure optimal seedling vigour.  Do not try to tease lettuce seedlings apart, they don't like root disturbance and doing this will stall their growth for several weeks.  When thinning cut off any unwanted seedlings with fine snips rather than pulling them out to avoid disturbing the roots of neighbouring plants.  Thin lettuce seedlings or plant starts about 30cm apart to give them room to grow and provide good airflow between plants.  Lettuce seedlings grown too closely together will bolt to seed.  When transplanting lettuce seedlings plant them deeply, down to the level of the seed leaves (cotyledons), this will result in less leggy plants more resistant to toppling over during strong winds.

Germination Time:

Lettuce seeds germinate rapidly, most seedlings will emerge 6 to 14 days after sowing the seeds.

Time to Harvest:

Heirloom freckles lettuce takes 10 to 13 weeks to grow big enough if harvesting entire plants that have a loose central head.  Individual leaves can be picked much earlier than this, you can prolong the harvest by picking the outer leaves first and leaving the central head to continue to grow.  Heading lettuces grown this way will not form a head but will produce for much longer with a harvest that is spread out across the growing season.