Salinas 88

Family: Asteraceae Leafy Green

Planting Schedule

Provide your location or planting zone to unlock dates and add Salinas 88 to a garden.

Crisp as morning frost, Salinas 88 forms a dense, cool-toned head with a satisfying crunch and a clean, gently sweet flavor.

Its tightly layered leaves hold their snap beautifully, making it a standout for fresh, crisp salads and elegant garnishes where texture is everything. Grow it for reliable, market-ready heads that stay crisp and inviting from garden to table.

Light: Part SunMaturity: 65 DaysHabit: Rosette

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Salinas 88 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	Protected Environment Only
Zone 2a	Apr 27th	May 18th	Jul 22nd – Aug 29th
Zone 2b	Apr 17th	May 8th	Jul 12th – Aug 25th
Zone 3a	Apr 17th	May 8th	Jul 12th – Sep 1st
Zone 3b	Apr 21st	May 12th	Jul 16th – Sep 21st
Zone 4a	Apr 17th	May 8th	Jul 12th – Sep 24th
Zone 4b	Apr 15th	May 6th	Jul 10th – Sep 27th
Zone 5a	Apr 10th	May 1st	Jul 5th – Sep 30th
Zone 5b	Apr 6th	Apr 27th	Jul 1st – Oct 5th
Zone 6a	Apr 3rd	Apr 24th	Jun 28th – Oct 10th
Zone 6b	Mar 28th	Apr 18th	Jun 22nd – Oct 16th
Zone 7a	Mar 23rd	Apr 13th	Jun 17th – Oct 20th
Zone 7b	Mar 13th	Apr 3rd	Jun 7th – Oct 28th
Zone 8a	Mar 4th	Mar 25th	May 29th – Nov 5th
Zone 8b	Feb 23rd	Mar 16th	May 20th – Nov 12th
Zone 9a	Feb 6th	Feb 27th	May 3rd – Nov 26th
Zone 9b	Jan 12th	Feb 2nd	Apr 8th – Dec 9th
Zone 10a	—	Oct 1st	Dec 5th – Feb 28th
Zone 10b	—	Oct 1st	Dec 5th – Feb 28th
Zone 11a	—	Oct 1st	Dec 5th – Feb 28th
Zone 11b	—	Oct 1st	Dec 5th – Feb 28th
Zone 12a	—	Oct 1st	Dec 5th – Feb 28th
Zone 12b	—	Oct 1st	Dec 5th – Feb 28th
Zone 13a	—	Oct 1st	Dec 5th – Feb 28th
Zone 13b	—	Oct 1st	Dec 5th – Feb 28th

Crop Details

Trait	Value
Days to Maturity	65
Sun Requirements	Part Sun
Growth Habit	Rosette
Support Needed	None
Planting Depth	Normal
Germination Temp (°F)	70
Min Soil Temp (°F)	40
Min Night Temp (°F)	32
Harden Off (days)	6

Culinary Notes

Chef's Note

Salinas 88 is the kind of lettuce that doesn’t collapse—its tightly layered leaves keep a high crunch even when dressed, so it’s made for cold, immediate eating. Use a bright, lemony vinaigrette and let the water-and-snap do the work; it’ll cut through salty and creamy partners without going limp.

Best Uses

ice-cold salad assemblies where leaves need to stay crunchy
crisphead wedges with a light vinaigrette that clings to the inner ribs
garnish duty—thin shredding for crunch on sandwiches or grain bowls
quick toss salads that get served immediately, not held

Flavor Profile

clean, gently sweet flavor dense crispness with tight, layered crunch cool, watery snap with mild bitterness at the edges

Kitchen Pairings

lemon vinaigrette crisp bacon or prosciutto blue cheese radicchio (for sharper bite) fennel pollen or toasted sesame grilled chicken

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the most common pest or disease problem for Lactuca sativa (lettuce) and how do I treat it?

For lettuce, one of the most frequent issues is downy mildew (often showing as pale yellow patches on the upper leaves with gray-violet growth underneath). Improve airflow by thinning to proper spacing and keep leaves as dry as possible when watering; if you see early spread, remove affected leaves and avoid overhead watering. In home gardens, use a labeled fungicide for downy mildew on lettuce as soon as symptoms appear, following the label exactly.

How often should I water Lactuca sativa during its main growth phase?

During the main growth (roughly weeks 3–to-harvest), keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy—aim for light, consistent moisture rather than letting it dry out and then flooding it. Water when the top 1 inch of soil feels dry; for most beds this is about 1–2 times per week, but you may need more during warm, windy weather. Avoid soaking the crown and base of leaves to reduce mildew risk.

How can I tell when my Lactuca sativa ‘Salinas 88’ is ready to harvest?

Start checking around 60–65 days after sowing: harvest when heads/rosettes have reached full size for the plant’s type and the outer leaves feel firm rather than limp. For crispness, pick in the morning and stop harvesting once the plant shows signs of bolting (elongating stem and rapidly tightening leaves). If you cut early, you’ll get smaller leaves; if you wait too long, it becomes more bitter and less crisp.