Brown Winter - Lettuce

This old variety is one of the hardiest. It produces a beautiful apple with light-green foliage, tinged with reddish-brown, and offers a firm texture and good flavor.

Sown in spring, it sets seed quickly.

Characteristics of Brown Winter Lettuce

Brune d'Hiver lettuce, Lactuca sativa, is a hardy, cold-hardy variety native to France. Also known as "Passion Brune" winter lettuce, it was first mentioned in 1883 in Vilmorin-Andrieux's Les Plantes Potagères . This early-maturing, medium-sized variety has light-green leaves with a reddish-brown tinge from the first frosts. Like Rousse d'Hiver and Merveille d'Hiver lettuces, Brune d'Hiver is sown from late summer to autumn and harvested in early spring. It can be eaten raw in salads or cooked like spinach.

When to sow Brown Winter lettuce?

The ideal sowing period is from August to September in pots under cover, and from September to October in the garden. Passion Brune winter lettuce is harvested from January to April.

Seedlings should be sown one month before planting in the vegetable garden, at a temperature of between 15 and 21°C. Cover the lettuce seeds with a light layer of soil and keep the substrate moist until emergence. Transplant into the garden, 30 cm apart in all directions, once the plants have reached the stage of 4 true leaves. Be careful, however, as transplanting can interfere with the development of the lettuce taproot.

Sow lightly directly in the ground, then thin out to 30 cm in all directions when the plants have 4 true leaves, to encourage harmonious development of the lettuces. Choose humus-rich soil and half-shade exposure. The very small seeds can be mixed with radish seeds to avoid over-dense sowing. Stagger sowing, every 15 days, to enjoy lettuce for several months.

What companion plants should I use with Brown Winter lettuce?

In the vegetable garden, this variety of lettuce grows harmoniously with radishes, cucumbers, carrots, onions, cabbage , beet and strawberries.

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