Lolla Rosa is a loose leaf lettuce with a bold and nutty flavor native to Italy, North Africa, and Asia. The plant produces frilly green leaves with deep red edges that look beautiful in salads and sandwiches.
Lolla Rosa is packed with vitamins A and C, folate, and iron—this variety was found to have one hundred times more antioxidants than common lettuce from the grocery store!
Seeds can be started indoors in early spring before the ground is prepared. Seeds can be sown in trays with one seed per cell three to four weeks before transplanting outdoors into the ground or a container.
Otherwise, sow seeds directly in the garden as early as the soil can be worked in spring. Plant seeds every 2 inches and cover firmly with soil. Thin seedlings to 8–12 inches apart when they have two to three leaves. Keep soil consistently moist to prevent the plant from going to seed before the growing season is over.
To harvest, pick individual leaves throughout the season to encourage regrowth or harvest by cutting the plant down to 2 inches. This "cut and come again" variety will regrow.
Allow one lettuce plant to go to seed. Once it bolts, a stalk will rise in the middle of the plant and flower. Once the flowers have dried, little cottony white puffs will emerge on the stalk. Seeds are located underneath the white puffs. Make sure to check on the plant daily as wind can carry away the seeds if left unharvested. Bring the harvested flower heads inside and break them apart with your fingers to release the seeds. Lay seeds out to dry for one week before storing in a cool, dry place for up to five years.