Lettuce Butterhead ‘Valdor’ – Irish Seed
€3.00
‘Valdor’ is a well proven winter hardy butterhead lettuce (Lactuca sativa). It produces medium sized heads with the soft green leaves and great taste typical of butterheads. Can be grown outside in Ireland from a September sowing. Will produce even better in a polytunnel or under a cloche.
Average 100 seeds per packet.
In stock
| Botanical Name | Lactuca sativa |
|---|---|
| Variety Type | Butterhead |
| Seeds per Packet | Approx. 100 |
| Sow Depth | < 5mm or on the surface |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun to partial shade |
| Spacing | 30cm |
| Harvest Method | Cut outer leaves, allow regrowth or harvest whole head |
| Life Cycle | Annual, Winter Hardy |
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It is possible to direct sow lettuce but it is more typical, and more successful, to sow seeds in module trays first before transplanting to the final growing place 3-5 weeks later.
- Can be started off as early as February if you have a heated propagator
- From spring no additional heat should be required
- Lettuce seed requires light to germinate and can be placed directly on top of the compost. You can make a shallow 5mm dimple in the compost to place the seed so it doesn’t wash out with watering but no need to fill over
- For heart forming lettuces like butterheads place one seed per cell/module
- Be careful to not let lettuce seed get above 23°C as the seed can go dormant then and not germinate. This temperature is easily exceeded inside a sunny window or in a polytunnel in the spring. The seeds do not need direct light to germinate so you can start them off in a shady spot during hotter times of the year – but they should be moved to the light as soon as they germinate (3-4 days later) or they will become leggy.
- Butterhead lettuces are ideal for winter growing in a polytunnel or cloche and can be sown until the end of September
- Lettuce will grow in any half decent soil with good sunlight.
- Avoid using rich manure or any high nitrogen fertiliser beforehand – this will cause lettuce to grow faster but with less quality of leaf that is more susceptible to pests and diseases.
- Harden off plants if they were raised in a greenhouse or on a windowsill
- 30cm x 30cm is good spacing for butterhead lettuce
- When planting the module into the ground it is good to ensure the module is slightly proud of the soil surface. Lettuce are vulnerable to diseases arising from soil-borne fungi and bacteria (bottom rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani, grey mold from Botrytis cinera and soft rot from Erwinia carotovora) so keeping the plant’s stem slightly above soil level helps airflow and minimises leaf contact with the ground.
- Keep the soil consistently moist, but not waterlogged. Lettuce is happy to get watered from above so long as there is good airflow.
- Butterhead lettuces are normally grown for harvesting the whole head at once. However, there is no issue with picking leaves from the outside as needed.
- Lettuce does not keep long after picking – harvesting in the morning when the leaves are cooler and hydrated will improve the quality and longevity
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