Mottistone

Family: Asteraceae Vegetable

Planting Schedule

Provide your location or planting zone to unlock dates and add Mottistone to a garden.

Unfurl Mottistone and savor its unmistakable, garden-bright charm: crisp, broad leaves with a mottled, buttery-green base brushed in soft, creamy highlights.

The texture is satisfyingly crunchy and tender at once, holding a fresh bite that shines in salads and as a vivid bed for garnishes. With its Batavian breadth and steady, 55-day pace to maturity, Mottistone rewards home gardeners with a generous harvest and an elegant, showy look in the row.

Light: Part SunMaturity: 55 DaysHabit: Rosette

Location not set yet

Enter your ZIP for local crop dates

Mottistone Planting Dates by USDA Zone

Estimated US hardiness-zone windows for sow, transplant, and harvest. Enter a US ZIP above for exact local dates, or open a zone below.

Zone	Start Indoors	Sow / Transplant	Harvest
Zone 1a	Protected Environment Only
Zone 1b	May 4th	Jun 1st	Jul 26th – Aug 1st
Zone 2a	Apr 27th	May 25th	Jul 19th – Aug 29th
Zone 2b	Apr 17th	May 15th	Jul 9th – Aug 25th
Zone 3a	Apr 17th	May 15th	Jul 9th – Sep 1st
Zone 3b	Apr 21st	May 19th	Jul 13th – Sep 21st
Zone 4a	Apr 17th	May 15th	Jul 9th – Sep 24th
Zone 4b	Apr 15th	May 13th	Jul 7th – Sep 27th
Zone 5a	Apr 10th	May 8th	Jul 2nd – Sep 30th
Zone 5b	Apr 6th	May 4th	Jun 28th – Oct 5th
Zone 6a	Apr 3rd	May 1st	Jun 25th – Oct 10th
Zone 6b	Mar 28th	Apr 25th	Jun 19th – Oct 16th
Zone 7a	Mar 23rd	Apr 20th	Jun 14th – Oct 20th
Zone 7b	Mar 13th	Apr 10th	Jun 4th – Oct 28th
Zone 8a	Mar 4th	Apr 1st	May 26th – Nov 5th
Zone 8b	Feb 23rd	Mar 23rd	May 17th – Nov 12th
Zone 9a	Feb 6th	Mar 6th	Apr 30th – Nov 26th
Zone 9b	Jan 12th	Feb 9th	Apr 5th – Dec 9th
Zone 10a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 10b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 11a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 11b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 12a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 12b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 13a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 13b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th

Crop Details

Trait	Value
Days to Maturity	55
Sun Requirements	Part Sun
Growth Habit	Rosette
Support Needed	None
Planting Depth	Surface
Germination Temp (°F)	70
Min Soil Temp (°F)	45
Min Night Temp (°F)	35
Harden Off (days)	6

Culinary Notes

Chef's Note

Mottistone’s broad Batavian leaves give you that rare combo of crisp bite and supple tenderness—dressing clings without turning greasy or wilting fast. It’s sweet-buttery with a controlled edge, so it shines with bright acid and salty fat, especially when you want texture to stay audible.

Best Uses

big-bowl salad greens where you want crunch that doesn’t collapse
simple dressed leaves for late-summer meals—olive oil, lemon, flaky salt
a sturdy lettuce bed for grilled proteins and runny sauces
quick char-and-eat skillet tosses to tame bitterness without going soggy

Flavor Profile

crisp, watery snap sweet, buttery-green leafiness gentle bitterness with a clean finish tender-broad texture that holds dressing

Kitchen Pairings

lemon extra-virgin olive oil Parmesan goat cheese bacon or prosciutto chicken

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s a common pest or disease problem for Lactuca sativa (leaf/batavian-type lettuce), and how do I control it?

A frequent issue is lettuce downy mildew, which shows as pale yellow patches on the top of leaves with a gray-purple mold on the underside. Improve airflow (don’t crowd plants), water at the soil line in the morning, and avoid wet foliage; remove and discard infected plants early to slow spread. If problems persist, use an appropriate fungicide labeled for lettuce downy mildew and restart with fresh seed if you notice repeated outbreaks.

During the main growing phase, how often should I water Lactuca sativa so it stays crisp and doesn’t go bitter?

For Lactuca sativa, keep the top 1–2 inches of soil consistently moist, not soggy, to support steady leaf growth and prevent tip-burn and bitterness. In warm weather, this usually means watering deeply 2–4 times per week, increasing frequency if the soil dries quickly under part-sun conditions. Mulch lightly after plants establish to reduce moisture swings, because lettuce reacts fast to drying out.

How can I tell when mottistone lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is ready to harvest?

Harvest when heads/leaves reach their expected size for your spacing and the leaves are firm and fully colored, typically around 55 days from sowing. For leaf harvest, pick outer leaves when they’re large enough to eat and leave the center to continue producing. If you see rapid stem elongation (bolting) or the leaves become noticeably more bitter and loose, harvest immediately.