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In nature, the wild ancestors of lettuce sprout in early spring and makes seed during the summer, dying in the fall. Humans have selected lettuce to taste sweeter and stay mild and leafy longer. But the majority of lettuce varieties still prefer to sprout in spring, after the seeds have been chilled by winter weather and the soil is warming but still cool. You may have noticed your lettuce seed is reluctant to sprout while the days are hot, and wondered if you seed was no good. Often the answer is that if your seed has experiences temperatures of 80 degrees or more, it probably has gone dormant, waiting for cool weather to become viable again. Just as humans have developed a taste for salad at all times of year, we have also figured out some ways to make that possible. Here are the best strategies for great salads in fall and winter: 1) Making a false winter: Most any lettuce variety will sprout better in late summer if it has been refrigerated for a week or so. The cool temperatures reset the seed's inner clock. When it comes out of the fridge, it feels that winter is over and spring has arrived.  2) Naturally heat-resistant types: A few lettuce varieties have been selected for sprouting when the weather is warm. Most often, these are Crisphead, types, also known as Batavian or Summercrisp lettuce. The varieties of Summercrisp lettuce we offer are Quan Yin, Joker, and Grandpa Admire's. These lettuces are perfect for the late summer-to-fall slot because they sprout well in late summer, but can handle cold weather as well. Quan Yin and Joker are especially frost-hardy and make good fall lettuces.  3) Varieties with winter adaptation: Since lettuce is by nature a spring crop, it is usually frost-hardy as a young seedling and less hardy as a grown plant. However, farmers and gardeners have selected varieties that and are adapted to winter growing. Since winter growing often includes not only frost and ice, but wet weather and/or growing under cover in a greenhouse or cold frame, these varieties usually are more resistant to mold and rot than summer lettuces, too. In addition to selection by humans, another factor that increases resistance is color; the anthocyanins in red lettuce confer some protection against both cold and disease.  4) Look for a "strong constitution": Some plants have a naturally strong resistance to environmental stresses, just as some people do. When that is the case, they can stand strong against both heat and cold. For example, the "Stupice" tomato was bred to be a cold-hardy, ultra-early tomato. But unlike some early types, it's strong constitution makes it able to withstand heat and drought as well. The same is true with lettuce. For us, Bronze Arrow and Quan Yin--which were bred to resist bolting in heat--have turned out to be cold-hardy well beyond the average. Recommended lettuces for fall/winter growing:
Bronze Arrow--Easy-to-grow Oakleaf lettuce, outstanding for summer or winter Hungarian Pink Winter--A winter-hardy Butterhead with delicate flavor and texture Hyper Red Rumpled Waved--Crumpled, textured leaf lettuce with very dark purple color Quan Yin--Heat and cold resistant lettuce with ruffled emerald-green leaves and crisp heart Winter Density--Deep green Romaine type with buttery texture Winter Red (Rouge d'Hiver--French heirloom romaine. Bright red color and excellent cold hardiness.
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