Lamb's Lettuce
Valerianella locusta
Also known as
Corn Salad, Lactuca, Common Cornsalad, Fetticus, Milk Grass, White Pot-Herb, European Cornsalad, Lewiston Cornsalad
20150418Valerianella locusta1 by AnRo0002 (CC0)
Full Sun
Easy care
Light watering
Tender
H7-H1c
RHS hardiness
-20°C
Minimum temperature
Expected size
Height | Spread | |
---|---|---|
30cm | Max | 30cm |
10cm | Min | 10cm |
3 months to reach maturity
Flowering
-
spring
-
summer
-
autumn
-
winter
This plant has no fragrance
More images of Lamb's Lettuce
Lamb's Lettuce Overview
Valerianella locusta is a small, hardy annual species that is commonly consumed as a leaf vegetable. It is a reliable salad crop for cool periods and has a nutty flavour. This plant is known by many common names including Corn Salad, Common Cornsalad, Lamb's Lettuce, Nut Lettuce and Field Salad. Leaves are spoon-shaped and arranged in a low-growing rosette. Tiny flowers are borne in clusters on highly branched stems, they are white-blue in colour and possess 5 fused petals and 3 stamens, the flowers measure approximately 0.12-0.2cm in length and width. They are surrounded by modified leaves known as bracts, these provide support to the developing blooms. In warm conditions it has a tendency to bolt, this is a term for vegetable crops that prematurely flower and produce seeds. This species grows wild in areas of Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia and it has been naturalised in North America on both the eastern and western seaboard. In Europe and Asia it is considered a common weed in many locations, particularly on cultivated land and wasteland. In other locations such as Nantes, France, it is considered a speciality of the region and it is cultivated as a crop.
Common problems with Lamb's Lettuce
How to harvest Lamb's Lettuce
Can be harvested eight weeks after sowing. Harvest outer leaves, the inner will continue to grow.
How to propagate Lamb's Lettuce
Seed
Sow in spring for a summer harvest and in late summer to mid-autumn for a spring harvest. Can be started under glass. Sow thinly in drills 13mm deep, 30cm apart. Thin plants to 10cm apart.
Special features of Lamb's Lettuce
Crop rotation
Can been sown in spring either as a summer harvest or in mid-autumn for a spring harvest.
Attractive flowers
Ground cover
Other uses of Lamb's Lettuce
Cullinary
Edibles to Sow Outside in October
In vegetable beds, at the allotment or in the kitchen garden, sow these now to grow over the cooler winter months.
Edibles to Sow Under Cover in November
Grow these on a sunny windowsill or heated propagator for winter picking.