Lettuce Crisp Great Lakes Seeds

Lettuce Crisp Great Lakes Seeds produce compact iceberg-style heads with green, slightly crinkled leaves. This Lactuca sativa Great Lakes crisphead type gives the crisp texture and mild flavour suited to familiar fresh meals.

Grow it successfully: Read the Crisp Great Lakes section of the South African Lettuce Grow Guide.

Quick Grow Facts

• Plant Type: Cool-season leafy vegetable annual
• Scientific Name: Lactuca sativa
• Exact Type: Great Lakes crisphead/iceberg type; no narrower numbered strain asserted
• Seed Form: Raw seed
• Pretreatment: None; sow as supplied and do not soak, scarify or chill
• General Sowing Time: Use the coolest practical crop window; the packet says spring to autumn, but crispheads perform poorly in sustained heat
• Position: Full sun in cool weather; light afternoon shade as temperatures rise
• Sow Depth: 3 mm
• Germination Light: Light-favoured; use only a fine 3 mm cover and do not use blackout conditions
• Germination Temperature: 15–20°C
• Germination: 7–14 days
• Spacing: 30 × 30 cm for full heads
• Transplanting: Move rooted plugs at several true leaves, commonly about 4–5 weeks; harden gradually and keep the crown at soil level
• Days to Harvest: 60–90 days
• Growth Type: Compact crisphead/iceberg
• Seed Quantity: 2 g raw seed: approximately 1 300 seeds; 20 g raw seed: approximately 13 000 seeds

Why Grow This Variety

• Compact, tightly formed heads provide classic iceberg structure.
• Green leaves have a slightly crinkled appearance.
• The crisp texture delivers a satisfying crunch.
• Mild flavour works across salads, sandwiches and burgers.

Garden Uses

Grow Crisp Great Lakes in a cool-season vegetable bed, raised planter or large container and harvest the whole head once it feels dense and firm.

Growing Notes

• Sow thinly in a fine seedbed or one to two seeds per module at exactly 3 mm.
• Keep at 15–20°C and evenly moist but never saturated for the full 7–14-day window.
• Transplant without burying the crown and reserve the full 30 × 30 cm for head formation.
• Keep growth steady in the coolest practical window; heat, crowding and water stress prevent dense heads.

Brought to you by Ubuntuberg Seeds, where our mission is to cultivate humanity & harvest unity. Ubuntuberg Seeds: the highest quality seed stock in all of Southern Africa, sourced from sustainable farms, guaranteeing you the best quality seed stock.