Lactuca sativa 'Salad Bowl'
vegetableSalad Bowl is a green oakleaf-type looseleaf lettuce and a 1952 All-America Selections winner that has stayed popular for over seventy years. It forms a large, open rosette of deeply lobed, notched, bright-green leaves that are tender and mild with no bitterness. Notably slow to bolt and more heat-tolerant than most lettuces, it holds in the garden well into warm weather and is ideal for cut-and-come-again harvesting, giving weeks of salad greens from a single sowing.
Sun
partial shade
Water
Every 2 days
Harvest
~50 days
Difficulty
easy
Lifecycle
annual
One season, then done
Spacing
8-12 in. apart
Planting Depth
1/8 in.
Soil pH
6.0-7.0
Soil Type
Rich, moist
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3 – 9
Grown as an annual. This range is its winter hardiness, but you can grow it for a single season in any zone.
When to Fertilize
At planting with compost; light nitrogen side-dress every 3 weeks
Fertilizer
Balanced fertilizer or compost; moderate nitrogen for tender growth
Direct sow or transplant in cool weather, sowing the seed shallowly since light aids germination, and sow again in late summer for a fall crop. Thin to about 8 to 12 inches apart for full rosettes or grow more densely for baby leaf. Keep the soil fertile and evenly moist for fast, tender growth, since drought and heat make the leaves bitter and trigger bolting, though Salad Bowl resists bolting better than most. Give afternoon shade as the weather warms and sow small batches every couple of weeks for a continuous supply.
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Feb 25
Transplant outdoors
Apr 1
Projected first harvest
May 21
fall planting
Direct sow
Aug 25
Projected first harvest
Oct 14
Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests
Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts. Tap a name with an arrow for its full guide
Inspect leaf folds where aphids hide; rinse off colonies and plant alyssum to draw hoverflies
Use grit or copper barriers, set traps, and hand-pick after dark in cool damp weather
Row cover seedlings and use reflective mulch
Keep soil evenly moist and ensure good airflow; tipburn is a calcium issue worsened by heat and uneven watering
Pick the outer leaves once the rosette is 4 to 6 inches across, taking a few from each plant cut-and-come-again, or cut the whole head an inch above the crown to regrow. Baby leaves are ready in about a month and full rosettes a couple of weeks later. Harvest in the cool morning for the crispest leaves, and pick before the plant bolts, since the leaves turn bitter and the sap milky once a flower stalk forms. Refrigerate in a sealed bag and use within a week.
Looseleaf lettuce is very low in calories and a good source of vitamins A and K with folate and small amounts of vitamin C. The bright-green leaves of Salad Bowl carry more nutrients than pale crisphead lettuce, and the tender oakleaf foliage is best eaten fresh and raw in salads.
For educational and informational purposes only. HomeSown is not medical, health, or other professional advice. Always positively identify any plant before handling or eating it; some plants, and some parts of otherwise-edible plants, are toxic. Consult a qualified professional before consuming or otherwise using any plant, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a health condition.
spring planting
fall planting