Lactuca sativa‘Oscarde’
I do n’t grow lettuce for its coming into court , but it ’s severely not to marvel at the beautiful ‘ Oscarde . ’
Tell me the dark cherry tree red outer leaves and reddened and brown mottled inside leave are n’t stunning !
The dense , tender heart is bright green and when you slice into a head you ’ll be enjoying a feast for the eyes .
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
But looks are n’t everything , ‘ Oscarde ’ also shines in the taste department too . It has a refreshing crispiness with a mild , fruity sweetness .
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Though it ’s an oak folio case , this cultivar has a denseness and texture that remind me a bit of a butterhead . good of both worlds , in my opinion .
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
‘ Oscarde ’ is a cold weather type that does n’t do well in the summer , but shines as a wintertime or other spring alternative .
Grow some summertime crispduring the red-hot month and then flex to this wonder during the cold month . Even a hard , extended freeze wo n’t get a problem .
If you ’re ready to sum ‘ Oscarde ’ to your garden , keep read . Here ’s what I ’ll cover :
What You’ll Learn
Quick Look
How to Sow
How to acquire
Where to Buy
Pests and Disease
harvest home
oak tree foliage lettuces spring up in France , where they were civilize by local growers from raving mad plants .
In 1699 , gardener John Evelyn wrote about oak tree leaf moolah in his book “ Acetaria : A Discourse of Sallets . ”
In the section about dough , he briefly mentions that oak tree folio is a dwarf French type .
In 1771 , the first commercial-grade oak tree leaf case was unloosen by seed company Vilmorin ( now Vilmorin - Mikado ) as ‘ Feuille de Chene . ’ “ Feuille ” is Gallic for folio and “ chene ” translates as oak tree .
It ’s well-heeled to see where this type got its name . The leaves do , in fact , look like those from an oak tree in shape .
Common name(s):Oscarde , oak leafage shekels
Plant type : Annual veg
Hardiness ( USDA Zone):2 - 10
Native to : crop variety
blossom time / season : fountain , capitulation
Exposure : Full to partial sun
Soil case : fertile , loamy , well - draining
filth pH:6.0 - 6.5
Time to maturity:55 days
Spacing : 12 inches
Planting depth:1/8 column inch ( ejaculate )
senesce size:9 inches tall , 6 inches broad
Water need : restrained to high
Taxonomy
ordering : Asteraceae
Family : Asteraceae
Genus : Lactuca
Species : Sativa
cultivar : Oscarde
‘ Oscarde ’ was also engender in France , as were many other democratic cultivars , though it ’s not clear by exactly who or when .
During the constituent food revolution of the seventies , ‘ Oscarde ’ became one of the foundational cherry-red leaf types for salad admixture .
Today , it ’s one of the most pop commercially - develop hydroponic oak leaf dough .
Sowing seeds is the most common way to go about propagate ‘ Oscarde , ’ but you might get favourable and find oneself a baby’s room that is selling seedlings if you wanted to get a headstart on the growing season .
From Seed
I like tostart my seeds indoorsbecause I can well monitor the wet level in the soil and I do n’t have to worry about birds or squirrels making off with the seed .
Here ’s how :
When the seedlings are a few inch tall and have several true leaves , you’re able to transplant them out of doors into the garden or individual container .
Before taking them out of doors , indurate them off for about a workweek .
If you prefer to unmediated - sow outdoors , fix the planting region by loosening the soil and add together some well - decompose compost . Sow seed 12 inches asunder , about an eighth of an in deep .
you could sow them closer together and thin the seedlings after germination if you prefer .
You ’ll need to protect the planting area withfloating row coversor some meshing to prevent the birds from make off with the seed .
Transplanting
Whether you find seedlings at the store or you start out your own , when it issue forth meter to put them in the primer , start by prepping the filth .
Dig down about six inches and work in a bunch of well - rotted compost . Then , dig a small hole for each industrial plant , with a foot between them .
Gently remove the seedling from its arise container and set it in the hole that you dug . Do n’t bury it any deeply than it was in the get container .
tauten the soil up around the al-Qaida and water in well .
Lettuce lends itself nicely togrowing in container , and I particularly love oak tree folio types for pots .
I keep a container of oak tree leaf and roquette on my patio for snag leaf as I ’m cooking .
So long as you have a container with secure drain , some water supply - retentive potting soil , and a billet to put it in , you could grow ‘ Oscarde . ’
If you lack blank space , the weather is n’t right , or you just need the convenience of a stuffy intellectual nourishment option , you’re able to alsogrow your lettuce indoors .
Light
‘ Oscarde ’ should be planted in full sun . A small afternoon shade during the hottest part of the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. wo n’t go awry , but too much shade will stunt the flora and leave in long-shanked outgrowth .
Soil
Like all lettuce , this cultivar postulate on the loose , organically - robust , moisture - retentive soil that ’s also well - draining . It should have a slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5 .
Water
Keep the soil moist at all clip . It should feel like a well - wrung - out sponge and if it start to dry out , allow more H2O properly off . If it feels squashy , though , do n’t water .
These works have shallow roots , so it ’s a delicate counterpoise .
When the surface of the filth starts to dry out , there ’s a risk the roots will dry out out , which means tenseness for the plant and potentialboltingorbitterness .
Fertilizing
Those shallow source also ca n’t stab down deep for nutrient , so you ’ll need to cater them with an organic fish photographic emulsion fertilizer every two weeks .
This is n’t strictly necessary if you have fertile soil and you amended with plenty of compost at planting time .
It ’s always adept todo a soil testto see if your soil is depleted and amend accordingly .
take your soil involve run , use something like Neptune ’s Harvest fish fertilizer to keep your lettuce growing big and stiff .
Neptune ’s harvesting Fish Fertilizer
Arbico Organics carriesthis product , which has an NPK proportion of 2 - 4 - 1 , in a potpourri of sizes .
While ‘ Oscarde ’ does n’t bask the popularity of some other lettuces , it ’s not precisely rare , either .
I find packets every fountain at my preferred plant nurseries . you’re able to also regularize them online and have them conveniently delivered to your star sign .
‘ Oscarde ’
True Leaf Market carriesthis cultivar and deal of excellent seeds that you ca n’t always incur locally and I ’ve always enjoyed a mellow sprouting pace with their seed , which is n’t something I can say about all rarified seed sellers .
The speedy stride at which lettuce grow and matures can be both a thanksgiving and a curse .
There ’s less clock time for trouble to modernise or for pests to find your works , but if contagion or infestation happens , they can cause rapid damage .
Herbivores
cervid , rabbits , mice , and voles will mow through a moolah patch quicker than you’re able to say “ salad bar . ”
For deer and rabbits , fencing will be your best friend . If you are invariably deal with mice and field mouse , a tall container is going to be the elbow room to go .
I chance that fighting mice and voles in the earth is a losing battle .
Insects
There are quite a few pests that tip on loot , though if you keep the plants healthy and well - spaced , they ’re generally less potential to ache from serious equipment casualty .
That say , pests can transmit disease , so it ’s best to keep them away all in all .
Aphids , various caterpillars , andslugs and snailsare the most uncouth in my garden , and I deal with one or another every class .
I utilise a bread slurry trap to deal with the slug and snail , and you could use floating wrangle covers to keep aphids and caterpillars .
Then we havefungus gnatsand several different mintage of beetles .
Our guide to vulgar lucre pest has more data .
It can be good to growmarigoldsoralliumsaround your ‘ Oscarde ’ as these assistant to deter blighter . fend off growing brassicas nearby as they divvy up many of the same pests and diseases withLactucaspecies .
Disease
‘ Oscarde ’ is resistive to downy mould , so you could pretty much check that crushing disease off your list of things to worry about .
Butdamping off , bottom and diffuse rot , and bacterial leaf fleck are problems you may run into .
tone down off can touch both seed as well as unseasoned or grownup works and it can cause rapid death . The various putrefaction get mushy , dark domain to develop on the foliation .
Bacterial leaf dapple causes , as you might have guessed , spots to grow on the foliation .
So , what do you do about any of these issues?Read our guide to lettuce diseasesto pick up more about identifying the problem and dealing with it .
‘ Oscarde ’ form an excellent undercut - and - number - again eccentric because the leaves regrow cursorily as you remove them .
The babe leaves are ready in just 30 days while the mature head need about 55 day to reach their full size of it .
Learn more about harvesting folio cabbage here .
Pretty, Flavorful, and Super Hardy
Being good looking is n’t a requirement for pelf , but it sure does n’t spite , correct ? Luckily , ‘ Oscarde ’ is as beautiful as it is scrumptious .
Plus , it ’s disease - resistant and able to live a freeze .
And formore info about growing boodle , check out these guides next :
Photos by Kristine Lofgren © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL rightfulness RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . Product photo via Arbico Organics and True Leaf Market . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
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Kristine Lofgren
