Perennial Sweet Lettuce Seeds

Perennial Sweet Lettuce Seeds - Reichardia picroides - French Scorzonera

Reichardia picroides
French Scorzonera

Hardy to Zone 7
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Germination Tested November 22, 2024: 85%

Approximately 50 seeds per packet

$5.00 CAD

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Sweet Lettuce, also called French Scorzonera or Common Brighteyes, is a perennial plant with edible leaves and roots. The leaves are sweet and mild year-round and not fibrous, and remain tasty even in the heat of summer when the plant is in flower. It's a great leafy green to have in summer while other greens like lettuce tend to bolt and become bitter.

It blooms for a long time, supporting pollinators, and the flowers can be eaten as well. You may wish to cut back the flowers to increase leaf production.

Interestingly, slugs don't seem to bother the plant much even though the leaves are mild, so if you struggle to grow lettuce because of slugs, this could be a great plant to try! It tolerates rocky and poor soils, and drought, too.

The plant will survive -15 degrees Celsius for sure, possibly lower. It does not seem to overwinter in pots. After growing these plants for 5 years, all of my plants died in the harsh winter of 2023/4, I assume because the cold set in very quickly, or it did in fact go below -15. Fortunately lots of seeds did survive, and possibly some small volunteer seedlings as well, so this wonderful species lives on in my garden.

Grow French scorzonera in full sun or part shade. Shade may increase leaf size. The plant grows about two feet tall when flowering. May self-sow.

I recently tried nibbling on a root raw, and it was very mild. However, the roots are pretty long and spindly so it may take a long time to harvest enough for a meal. I think the best time to harvest the roots would be in the late fall or early spring.

Growing Instructions

Start indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost, and transplant out after all danger of frost has passed. Don't let it remain in small pots for long because it may harm the plant's taproot. Or direct sow April-May. Grow plants about 8-12 inches apart.

Shipping & Returns

We ship seeds via Canada Post within Canada for $6 to $8 depending on weight, United States for $20, and Internationally for $20*. Live plants, bulbs, and bulbils can only be shipped within Canada.

Any shipping overages will be refunded.

Shipping in Canada

We ship seeds in Canada via regular letter mail, which is an untracked service, and usually takes 1-2 weeks to arrive once we fulfill your order. Larger bulbs and plants are sent via tracked flat rate box.

Shipping to the US

We now require all US shoppers to obtain a Small Lot Seed Permit before purchasing. It's free to apply and you will likely be granted the permit instantly. To apply:

Go to https://efile.aphis.usda.gov/s/
Select PPQ-587 in the dropdown menu and click "Get Started".
Login and follow the instructions to obtain a permit. You may list "Eligible Taxa" instead of listing all the species you'd like to import.
Once you receive your permit, email us a PDF copy, including the yellow/green coloured labels. Tell us if which USDA station you want us to send the seeds to. If not mentioned we will choose a random one. Also let us know your order number. Our email is grow@cicadaseeds.ca
We are not able to send any pepper or tomato seeds, or any bulbils due to restrictions.

After receiving your documentation, we will follow all requirements for mailing your seeds. We will ship via tracked parcel. Unfortunately we are not able to replace packages that are confiscated or destroyed by customs.

Shipping Internationally

International orders are usually shipped via untracked packet. The package will list the contents as "Garden Seeds". It is your responsibility to ensure you have the required import permit. Cicada Seeds will not be responsible for any orders held of confiscated by customs.

International shipping countries include: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom.

This list may change without notice. Sometimes Canada Post will not allow us to ship to certain countries due to wars or natural disasters, see this page for delivery service alerts: https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/service-alerts.page

Please reach out if your country is not on this list, email us and we will try to arrange an alternate shipping option.

If you have any issues with your order, please contact us within 60 days and we will do our best to make it right.

*Shipping fees listed here are in Canadian dollars.