All salad vegetables, apart from their different botanical families, can be divided into two groups.The varieties that develop more or less compact heads belong to one.In the second one there are plants whose leaves form loose rosettes or grow singly.
Also in autumn, head and butter lettuces occupy an important place among the most valued and popular leafy plants.Newer varieties are most often unsuitable for late-term cultivation. Among the old ones, however, we can find more of those that can withstand winter temperatures. 'Winterbutterkopf' or 'Wintermarie' do not need a greenhouse. Also 'Maikönig' and 'Humil' are characterized by amazing resistance to freezing. Seeds of viable varieties are sown in small pots by the beginning of September at the latest.
Plant the seedlings in a row after 4-6 weeks. It is best to plant them a little deeper than usual to reduce the risk of severe frost. Depending on the variety and sowing date, several heads can be cut out in late autumn. Most lettuces can continue to grow to be harvested as early as March.Lettuce chicory and endive survive the winter only in the frame or under a fleece cover.Some varieties, such as 'Bubikopf 2', can survive a few frosty nights without losses.
Leafy chicory is rarely grown here. It is a pity, as some varieties, e.g. 'Red Rib', grow as fast as leaf lettuce and after a few weeks provide a vitamin-rich crop.The leaves of all chicory contain he althy bitter substances and therefore have a more or less bitter taste . Some new varieties, such as 'Pan di Zucchero' and 'Zuccherina di Trieste', are almost devoid of bitterness.
The most recommended varieties
1. The 'Goldforelle' head lettuce is distinguished by red spotted leaves.Straw mulch isolates late crops from the frozen ground.
2. Oak lettuce is also successful in balcony boxes. You can start growing it in mid-September at the latest.
3. Leaf chicory, such as 'Red Rib' with dark red leaf veins or 'Zuccherina di Trieste' with light green leaves, is ready for harvest 6-8 weeks after sowing.
4. Radicchio 'Rossa di Verona' creates oblong heads.In good condition, it can overwinter in an inspection or an unheated greenhouse.
5. We sow the medicinal herb in pots at the beginning of September. Later, we plant the young plants in clumps. The vitamin C-rich leaf vegetable tastes good in salads or stewed.
6. The rocket (rocket rocket) is a more hardy variant of a mild lettuce variety.Since the leaves that regrow are often stringy and bitter, new plants should be sown after the second cut.
Practical advice
It may happen that before the end of the garden season we will be left with unsown seeds of various leafy and head lettucesIt is worth using them for the autumn harvest. Mix the leftovers from a few bags and sow them as densely as leaf lettuce. Tear off the first leaves when they are approx. 7 cm long. Plants that do not like leaf stripping will disappear immediately, but we can still remove young leaves from the remaining ones.
7. Radicchio 'Rossa di Verona' sprouts green leaves in summer.When the temperature drops, young leaves turn red.
8. Endive, chicory and radicchio all grow well in company and are ready to be harvested when other leaf vegetables disappear from the patch.
9. Rush cabbage (mustard) 'Green in Snow' is not afraid of snow and frost.However, young plants intended for winter harvesting should be protected with a cover made of cloth or agrotextile.
10. Mustard (winter cress) can overwinter in a pot on the balcony or terrace. Continuous collection of leaves
with horseradish aftertaste ends in spring, when flower shoots emerge.
11. Asian lettuces are distinguished by their spicy mustard flavor.A mixture of red and green varieties can sometimes be purchased in the form of seed discs.
12. The lamb's lettuce produces delicate leaves that are not resistant to strong frost. Some varieties withstand temperature drops down to -15 ° C.
