What is Kweik Lettuce?
Kweik is a variety of butter lettuce. Some common varieties of butter lettuce that you’re likely to see in the grocery store are Bibb and Boston. Butter lettuces are known for forming a loose head of light to bright green leaves, a tender texture, and a less bitter, sweeter flavor than other types of lettuce. Among butter lettuce varieties, Kweik is fast-growing, tolerates cold, and produces loose, lime-green heads. The leaves are tender and may be sweet or a little bit bitter. The leaves are great for any type of salad. They also work for recipes that call for lettuce wraps or cups because the leaves are nice and wide.
Kweik Lettuce Information for Growing
Kweik lettuce plants grow quickly, with just 50 days to maturity. Fall is a great time to start this lettuce from seed. Hot weather will make the lettuce bolt, but fall is just right in most locations for Kweik to thrive and grow. You can grow it outdoors if your climate is right, in a cold box if you are at risk of getting an early frost, or in an unheated greenhouse throughout the winter. Sow your Kweik lettuce seeds in soil to about a quarter inch (0.5 cm.) depth. Thin the seedlings so that you have plants growing six inches (15 cm.) apart. You can plant seeds every few weeks to get a constant supply of lettuce. Make sure the soil stays moist but also drains well. Kweik butterhead lettuce is easy to grow, even for beginner vegetable gardeners. Not only does it mature quickly, but Kweik is resistant to several diseases and issues, including white mold, sclerotina stem rot, downy mildew, and leaf tipburn. For a fall or winter supply of lettuce, you can hardly do better than Kweik.
