Scottish growing tool

Lettuce Variety Selector: Which One For Your Garden

Every recommendation below traces back to our full Lettuce varieties comparison — this page is the fast route to one answer for your specific situation, no clicking through required.

If: Sow in autumn for an early spring harvest or Continuous cut-and-come-again leaves through summer → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or Wet or humid site, disease resistance matters → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice

Winter DensityAGM

The only AGM lettuce with both a stated overwintering claim and a stated bolt-resistance claim, good winter hardiness enabling autumn sowings that crop in early spring, and slow to bolt in warmer weather. That combination covers Scotland's two real lettuce failure points: the early-spring hungry gap and cold-snap bolting, which is why it's the strongest general recommendation.

If: Continuous cut-and-come-again leaves through summer → Bolt resistance from a crisphead type or Wet or humid site, disease resistance matters → Crisphead type

HollywoodAGM

A crisphead type with good resistance to downy mildew, a genuine advantage in Scotland's wetter, more humid growing conditions, and as a crisphead it also benefits from the general bolt resistance attributed to that type as a class.

If: Continuous cut-and-come-again leaves through summer → Slow to bolt, harvest outer leaves over several weeks

Salad BowlAGM

A deeply lobed, loose-leaf cut-and-come-again type, harvest the outer leaves over several weeks rather than lifting a whole head. Rated H3, one band hardier than the others here, and separately confirmed slow to bolt, making it a strong choice for a long summer harvest.

If: Short on space: containers or raised beds

Little GemAGM

A dwarf Cos producing small, dense heads with a crisp, sweet heart, and resistant to lettuce root aphid. It makes no bolt-resistance claim of its own, but its compact habit makes it the practical pick for containers, raised beds, or anywhere space is tight.

If: Wet or humid site, disease resistance matters → Loose-leaf oakleaf type with dark red foliage

NavaraAGM

An oakleaf (loose-leaf) type with very dark red, glossy foliage, resistant to downy mildew and aphid, another genuine wet-climate advantage. Its sowing guidance runs spring to summer only, so it's a summer cropper rather than an overwintering option.

Answer these as a quick wizard instead →

Lettuce growing guide →Full Lettuce varieties comparison →