1# RUBY RED LEAF LETTUCE

Ruby Red Leaf Lettuce is a beautiful and reliable loose‑leaf lettuce variety, loved for its deep red color, tender texture, and mild, sweet flavor. It adds striking color to salads and grows quickly in cool weather.

🌱 Quick Overview

• Type: Loose‑leaf lettuce

• Leaf color: Deep burgundy‑red with green highlights

• Leaf shape: Broad, ruffled, upright

• Flavor: Mild, slightly sweet, tender

• Use: Fresh salads, sandwiches, baby greens

• Days to maturity: ~45–55 days

• Harvest style: Cut‑and‑come‑again

• Pollination: Open‑pollinated

✅ Why gardeners grow Ruby Red Leaf

• Excellent color contrast in the garden and on the plate

• Fast growing and easy to care for

• Performs well in cool spring and fall weather

• Regrows well after cutting

• Good heat tolerance for a red leaf lettuce

🌼 Growing from seed

• Planting time:

  • Early spring as soon as soil can be worked

  • Late summer for fall harvest

• Seed depth: ⅛–¼ inch (lettuce needs light to germinate)

• Spacing:

  • Baby greens: sow thickly

  • Full plants: thin to 6–8 inches apart

  • Rows 12–18 inches apart

• Sun: Full sun to partial shade

• Soil: Loose, fertile, well‑drained soil rich in organic matter

• Water: Consistent moisture keeps leaves tender and sweet

Tip: Cooler temperatures deepen the red leaf color.

🥬 Harvesting

• Baby leaves ready in 25–30 days

• Harvest outer leaves or cut plants back to 1–2 inches

• Plants regrow several times

• Best flavor and color when harvested young

🍽️ Kitchen notes

• Excellent fresh in mixed salads

• Mild enough to pair with bold dressings

• Softer texture than romaine or iceberg

• Wash and chill for best crispness