Teton Romaine Lettuce Seeds

Teton, a new romaine lettuce (also known as cos lettuce), is a leafy vegetable with large, elongated heads that have good potential for dense hearts. The crisp, crunchy, dark green leaves have straight ribs and a mild, slightly sharp flavor. Although romaine is a popular salad ingredient and lettuce wrap, it can also be grilled. Romaine lettuce is considered a superfood for its nutrient rich content, having a high (top 20) Aggregate Nutrient Density Index score (ANDI), or micronutrient-per-calorie density. Romaine is an excellent source of vitamin K, an essential nutrient for bone health, blood clotting, and wound healing. It has levels of folate and vitamin A similar to spinach and is rich in antioxidants.

An herbaceous annual, Teton is a member of the aster (Asteraceae) family. Teton is a tough and fast-growing plant with an upright habit. Versatile and super easy to grow, romaine lettuce prefers a sunny to partly shady location with fertile, organically rich, moist, well-draining sandy loam soil or compost, having a slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.7. Loose, well-tilled soil and consistent water are important for the best germination. Teton has high resistance to downy mildew Bl-EU:21, 24; strong tolerance to lettuce necrotic stunt virus LNSV; and moderate bolt resistance.

A cool-season, semi-hardy vegetable, one of the first to be planted in the garden, lettuce seed can be direct sown as soon as the soil is workable in early spring, about 2 weeks before the last frost date. For fall harvest, sow seeds about 8 weeks before the frost date. Plants can also be started indoors 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting, spring and fall. Lettuce needs cold temperatures to germinate and grow and can withstand light frost and temperatures in the 28 to 32°F range and becomes even sweeter with a light frost. It grows best in temperatures between 45 and 70°F. Temperatures above 70°F and dry soil can trigger bolting; however, if plants do bolt and go to seed, the flowers are very attractive to pollinators. Succession planting every 2 to 3 weeks is recommended for continual harvest.