Red Leaf Lettuce

Lactuca sativa 'Red Sails'

vegetable

A loose-leaf lettuce with frilly, deeply cut leaves tinted red to burgundy on the tips and edges. Quick to mature, mild and tender, and one of the most colorful lettuces for salad mixes. Red leaf lettuce adds visual appeal to any planting and is very easy to grow as a cut-and-come-again crop.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Carrot — Deep roots work well alongside shallow lettuce roots in the same bed
• Radish — Fast-maturing companion that matures before lettuce fills in
• Cucumber — Cucumber trellis provides light shade that extends lettuce season in summer
• Onion — Deters aphids that commonly target lettuce

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Aphids →

  Inspect leaf undersides weekly; water blast or insecticidal soap; plant alliums nearby

• Slugs →

  Diatomaceous earth barrier; iron phosphate bait; copper tape on raised bed edges

• Cutworms →

  Collar transplants at soil level; beneficial nematodes in soil

• Tipburn →

  Inner-leaf calcium deficiency from heat; consistent watering and good airflow prevent this

🌾 Harvest & storage

Harvest outer leaves when 4 to 6 inches long, leaving the center rosette to continue growing. Full plants can be cut 1 inch above the soil and will often regrow a second harvest. Best flavor in cool weather; warm-weather lettuce becomes bitter. Refrigerate harvested leaves and use within 5 to 7 days.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Good source of vitamin A, vitamin K, and folate. Red pigment contains anthocyanins with antioxidant properties. Very low in calories. Higher in antioxidants than green leaf lettuce varieties.