While there are four main types of lettuce, you may only see iceberg and romaine at your local grocery store but there are more choices out there. Let’s review them from the smallest to largest:
Butterhead / Bibb / Boston: This type of lettuce has soft and buttery flavored leaves that form loose heads. While Butterhead Lettuce is very cold tolerant, there are varieties that are heat tolerant as well.
Crisphead: This type includes iceberg and Batavian lettuce. As you probably already know, iceberg lettuce forms a tight round head and the leaves are crispy / crunchy. Batavian lettuce forms a smaller, less dense head and has curlier leaves.
Loose leaf: Loose leaf does NOT form a compact head and the leaves are less crunchy. By planting this type close together, you can form a nice ground cover under taller plants – another great interplanting candidate!
Romaine: This lettuce will form a tight taller head. Romaine provides a nice crunch too!
If you missed my post on Types of Carrots, you need to click on it.
