Lollo Rosso is native to Italy. It is grown as a supplemental lettuce to mix with other lettuce's of varying textures and flavors. It thrives in cool seasons and requires fertile soil, warm days and cool nights.
Lollo Rosso lettuce has 100 times more antioxidants than regular lettuce. It also contains vitamins A and C, folates, fiber, potassium and iron. It improves eyesight and cholesterol, and it also acts as a natural antihistamine to relieve asthma and allergy symptoms.
GROWING LETTUCE FROM SEEDChoose the right varieties and you can have lettuce almost all year round. There are so many types of lettuce to choose from – all with different colours, flavours and textures – that salad need never be boring! There are two main types of lettuce – hearting lettuces have a dense centre, while loose-leaf lettuces have open leaves and no heart. You can also grow a variety of salad leaves that can be picked while young and tender.Grow lettuces in full sun on moisture-retentive soil. In some parts of the country early and late sowings may need protection against cold, using cloches, plastic tunnels or horticultural fleece. All these types of protection will be available at garden centres.There are several different types of hearting lettuces: Butterhead lettuces have an open habit, are quick-maturing and tolerate poorer growing conditions.  Cos types have an upright growth habit and oblong head.  Crisphead types produce large hearts of curled and crisp leaves and are more resistant to bolting (going to seed prematurely); this group includes iceberg lettuces. Sow a short row every fortnight to ensure continuity of cropping. Sow seed thinly 13mm deep in rows 30cm apart.You could also grow lettuces in grow bags or containers – follow the sowing timings and spacings as below.Time of sowing depends on when the crop is wanted: For a summer/autumn crop: sow outdoors from late August. For an even earlier crop, sow indoors in early August in seed trays and plant out in early September.  For an early winter crop: sow outdoors in early Autumn and cover the plants with closed cloches before the first frost. High soil temperatures in summer can prevent some cultivars from germinating. Sow in the evening, water with cold water and provide some shade to keep temperatures down.
