Lettuce - Oakleaf Red

Common Name:
Lettuce ‘Red Oak Leaf’

Description:
Lettuce ‘Red Oak Leaf’ is a highly popular and attractive loose-leaf variety, prized for its deeply lobed, oak-shaped leaves in rich burgundy to bronze-red tones with hints of green at the base. This fast-growing, cool-season vegetable forms an open, spreading rosette rather than a tight head, allowing for continuous harvesting of tender outer leaves over an extended period. The flavour is mild, slightly sweet, and less bitter than many other red lettuces, making it ideal for fresh salads and garnishes. Well-suited to Melbourne conditions, it thrives in full sun to part shade with fertile, well-drained soil and consistent moisture. Best grown from autumn through to spring, it is relatively quick to mature and benefits from regular picking to encourage new growth. Its ornamental appearance also makes it a standout addition to edible garden beds and mixed plantings.

Form:
*Ground Cover
*Shrub - Clumping / Grass-like / Mounding

Mature Size:
*Height: 20–30 cm
*Width: 20–30 cm

Aspect:
*Full Sun
*Part Shade

Flowering:
*Does not flower under Melbourne's weather conditions

Flower Colour:
*Not applicable

Key Attributes:
*Annual
*Cool Season Crop
*Edible Leaves
*Fast Growing
*Low Maintenance
*Suitable for Pots
*Suitable for Vegetable Gardens

Toxicity:
Non-toxic to humans and animals.

Companion Plants:
*Carrot
*Beetroot
*Radish
*Onion
*Strawberry
*Spinach