How to Grow Red Velvet
Lactuca sativa 'Red Velvet'
Red Velvet lettuce offers a striking deep red hue that adds visual interest to any salad garden. Gardeners prize this cool-season variety for its tender leaves, which mature quickly and withstand light frosts well.
📷 Wikipedia: LettuceStarting Red Velvet: indoors or direct sow?
🌾 Sow directly in the garden — Red Velvet is not usually started indoors.
This variety is best direct-sown outdoors two to six weeks before your last frost date rather than started indoors and transplanted.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 before sowing seeds directly outdoors or starting them indoors. Sow the seed 1/4 inch deep in early spring, two to six weeks before your last frost date, as it is a cool-season crop. Expect germination within seven to fourteen days once conditions are right.
Space plants eight to twelve inches apart to ensure proper air circulation and leaf development. While no trellising is needed for this low-growing variety, maintain consistent moisture by providing about one inch of water weekly. Apply a light mulch around the base to retain soil moisture and suppress weeds without touching the leaves.
Watch for aphids, slugs, snails, and flea beetles; use handpicking or organic controls like diatomaceous earth if infestations occur. Prevent downy mildew and bacterial leaf spot by ensuring good airflow and avoiding overhead watering. Harvest leaves when they are 45 to 55 days old by cutting the outer edges first for continuous picking.
When to Plant Red Velvet
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | — | June – July | July – September |
| Zone 2 | — | May – July | July – September |
| Zone 3 | — | May – June | June – October |
| Zone 4 | — | April – June | June – October |
| Zone 5 | — | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 6 | — | April – May | May – November |
| Zone 7 | — | March – May | May – November |
| Zone 8 | — | March – April | April – December |
| Zone 9 | — | February – March | March – December |
| Zone 10 | — | January – March | March – December |
| Zone 11 | — | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 12 | — | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 13 | — | January – February | February – December |
Companion Plants for Red Velvet
✓ Good companions
Deep roots don't compete with shallow lettuce roots, and carrots help break up soil
Repels aphids and improves lettuce flavor while providing natural pest deterrent
Attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings that control lettuce pests
Natural fungicide properties help prevent downy mildew and other fungal diseases in lettuce
Repel nematodes, aphids, and other pests that commonly attack lettuce
Act as trap crops for aphids and cucumber beetles, drawing pests away from lettuce
Fast-growing radishes can be harvested before lettuce needs space, and they help loosen soil
Similar growing requirements and can be interplanted for efficient space usage
✗ Keep away from
Large leaves create excessive shade and compete heavily for nutrients needed by lettuce
Produces allelopathic compounds that inhibit lettuce germination and growth
Tall growth creates too much shade and roots release chemicals that can stunt lettuce growth
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
