More Leafy Green Varieties That Will Please Your Customers

By Carol Miller|Updated: October 04, 2021

Blue Rock (Vilmorin |Gowan Seed Company)

Type: Romaine, green Disease package: HR: Bl(7-9), Nr(0), TBSV. T: TpB Dr. Yaojin Peng bred a great new, versatile, full-season variety for cartons, processing, heart use, and local markets. Adapted to all growing areas, and performs well in all harvest seasons. ‘Blue Rock’ is medium-green in color and has a tall, upright plant structure. It’s heavy weight, easy to cut, trim and pack. Ideal for California, Arizona, Michigan, and Florida. Matures in 65 days. https://www.VilmorinNorthAmerica.com/lettuce/bluerock https://www.vilmorinnorthamerica.com/

'Bondi' (Rispens Seeds)

Breeder: Progeny Advanced Genetics Type: Romaine Disease package: MTO Days to maturity: 65 Regions: Midwest, Northeast Other: Slow to bolt, very uniform, good heat tolerance RispensSeeds.com

Coastal Star (Enza Zaden, Rupp Seeds)

Type: Romaine ‘Coastal Star’ is a taller, darker plant for spring, and fall harvest. It is early maturing that produces large, and heavy heads. https://www.RuppSeeds.com/vegetables/products/lettuce/romaine/coastal-star

Dallas (Osborne Quality Seeds)

Disease package: BI(1-17) ‘Dallas’ is a fast growing (growth rate 8) smooth spinach. https://www.OsborneSeed.com/catalog/cp_/catalog/vegetables/spinach

Elemental (BASF)

Crop: Open Gem Lettuce Disease package: Nr(0), Bl(16-36) EU Versatile ‘Elemental’ is packed with flavor and has exceptional shelf life. Ideal for California, Arizona, and Nevada. Matures in 60 days. http://www.NunhemsUSA.com

Eliance Organic (Enza Zaden/Vitalis, Harris Seeds/Garden Trends Inc.)

Crop: Escarole ‘Eliance’ is an exceptional escarole type, with an upright habit for ease of harvest. It features dark green-smooth leaves that fill out tight heads, and harvest clean. It’s heat tolerant and has strong resistance to bolting. Suitable for open field, and greenhouse production. Matures in 50 days. https://www.enzazaden.com/us/products-and-services/our-products/Endive/Eliance https://usa.vitalisorganic.com/products-and-services/our-products/Endive/Eliance https://www.HarrisSeeds.com/products/12951-escarole-eliance-organic?variant=36452418814024

Ezflor (Enza Zaden/ Vitalis Organic Seeds)

Type: Eazyleaf Disease package: HR: Bl(16-37) EU, Bl(1-9) US, Nr(0), TBSV. IR: Fol(1) ‘Ezflor’ is dark glossy, red with fresh green interior. It has a unique, flexible leaf shape that can be used as red leaf, tango, or oak. The impressive leaf texture is maintained, even under water stress. https://www.EnzaZaden.com/us/products-and-services/our-products/Lettuce?croptype=Eazyleaf

'Fresh Pak' (Sakata Seed America and Rupp Seeds)

Type: Baby Leaf Beet Disease package: HR to DM:1 and IR to CLS Days to maturity: 25 to 35 Other: A perfect choice for baby leaf and spring mix growers. Nice, dark-green leaves paired with dark-red petioles that make it stand out. Fresh Pak has a well-defined veination that runs throughout the leaf. It is a slow to moderate growing variety. SakataVegetables.com; RuppSeeds.com

Joi Choi (Sakata Seeds, Stokes Seeds)

Type: Pak Choi Cabbage, Hybrid ‘Joi Choi’ is a uniform, glossy, dark green Pak Choi cabbage. It has erect broad white stalks, and is well adapted, with high yield potential. Slow bolting. Ideal for the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. Matures in 55 days. https://US.StokeSeeds.com/cabbage-0240036.html

'Kona' (Seminis)

Type: Semi-savoy, dark-green spinach Disease package: HR to Pfs:1-15,17 Days to maturity: 25 to 35 Regions: Western U.S. (transition to and from main slot) and Desert Southwest (transition) Other: Bred by John Meeuwsen, ‘Kona’ is an attractive spinach variety with a beautiful, dark-green color and has thick, upright, and pliable oval leaves with a slight point. It offers growers in the Western U.S. flexibility of planting in and out of the main slot as a reliable, transitional variety. Its thickness and pliability help resist damage during harvest and contribute to an overall high-yield potential. Seminis-US.com

'Lalique RZ' (Rijk Zwaan, Johnny's Seed, and Paramount Seeds)

Disease package: Bl:16-26,32EU, LMV:1 Days to maturity: 45 Regions: National Other: ‘Lalique RZ’ is a green, crystal lettuce for year-round, hydroponic production. It is very crispy and juicy and will hardly become bitter in any condition. It is also well suited for burger and sandwich leaves. RijkZwaanUSA.com; JohnnySeeds.com; ParamountSeeds.com

'Laredo' (3 Star Lettuce and Rispens Seeds)

Type: Romaine Disease package: MTO Days to maturity: 65 Region(s): Midwest, Northeast Other: ‘Laredo’ is very uniform, performs well in hot conditions, and is great for sleeving. 3StarLettuce.com; RispensSeeds.com

'Meridian' (Sakata Seed America)

Type: Iceberg Disease package: T to F:1 Regions: Desert Southwest (fall and spring), Southern Salinas Valley (summer and early fall) Other: ‘Meridian’ is a pioneer! This variety is first to market with Fusarium:1 tolerance and offers the best tolerance commercially available in the iceberg category. It has a high level of heading and good bolt tolerance. SakataVegetables.com

Mild and Wild Brassica Mix (Osborne Quality Seeds Exclusive)

Type: Mixed Greens https://www.osborneseed.com/catalog/item-content/77890/mild---wild-brassica-mix/pr_77890/cp_/catalog/seed-form/untreated/microgreens

Momentous (BASF)

Type: Romaine Disease package: Nr(0), Bl(16-36) EU, LNSV Fully resistant organic romaine with a high tolerance to tip burn. ‘Momentous’ has good weight and is perfect for hearts. Matures in 90 days. http://www.NunhemsUSA.com

Muir MTO Organic (Enza Vitalis | Harris Seeds/Garden Trends Inc.)

Type: Green Batavia Disease package: HR: DM(1-9, 16-26, 28, 32), TBSV, Nr, IR: LMV(1) The sweet crispy light green leaves, of this slow-growing variety are upright; and form a well-filled heart. ‘Muir MTO Organic’ is suited to hydroponic, field, and protected culture settings. Plants are strong against bolting and tip burn. Matures in 50 days. https://www.harrisseeds.com/products/12393-lettuce-muir-mto-organic?variant=28919239633

Rhone (Enza Zaden/Vitalis Organic Seeds)

Type: Eazyleaf red tango Disease package: HR: Bl(16-37) EU, Bl(1-9) US, Nr(0), TBSV. IR: Fol(1) ‘Rhone’ is an incised double-red tango, with good leaf texture and has great bolting tolerance. It has a narrow attachment, and has a brilliant, deep-red color with a well balanced red-green color. It has a 3D leaf structure, and its weight can add yield to existing Eazyleaf programs looking for more dimension and crunch. https://USA.VitalisOrganic.com/-/media/Files/vitalis/pdf%20catalogue/cat-2021/vitalis_us-ca_cat_2021.pdf

'Sandy' (Seeds by Design)

Type: Lettuce Other: Exceptional disease and bolt resistance. Can be sown in either spring or fall seasons. Lovely dark-green, oakleaf lettuce with a multitude of extra frilly leaves. Grow it in a salad blend or just by itself. SeedsByDesign.com

'Seaside' (Sakata Seed America and Rupp Seeds)

Type: Baby Leaf Spinach Disease package: DM Other: Very uniform baby leaf variety. Moderate growth rate and an upright plant habit. Smooth, thick, very dark-green, spade-shaped leaf making it a perfect choice for baby leaf growers. Downy mildew resistance for growers who require a premium disease package. RuppSeeds.com

'Silvia' (Terra Organics)

Type: Romaine Days to maturity: 45; 25 for baby leaf Other: Upright dark burgundy-red romaine with excellent vigor. Grows quickly for baby leaf. TerraOrganics.com

'Slot Machine' (Seminis)

Type: Iceberg Days to maturity: 100 to 110 Regions: Desert Southwest (Yuma and Imperial Valley) and Western U.S. Other: Bred by Isabelle Delannay, ‘Slot Machine’ is a robust, framed, vigorous plant producing reliable, highly uniform, large, rounded bulb heads suited as a dual-purpose produce for fresh market carton pack and processors in the Desert Southwest (Yuma and Imperial Valley) and the Western U.S. This variety demonstrates adaptability to many growing regions, conditions, and planting windows, while providing growers an opportunity to secure consistent yields and a high quality product over a longer period of time. Seminis-US.com

Top Bunch 2.0 (Sakata Seeds | Stokes Seeds)

Crop: Collard, Hybrid This early maturing hybrid resembles ‘Top Bunch’. It has wavy, lightly savoyed leaves that reach 18 to 26 inches in height, and regrow quickly after harvest. Upright plant type that is suitable for fresh market bunching, and machine harvest, for processing. Ideal for the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. Matures in 70 days. https://sakatavegetables.com/vegetable/collard/top-bunch-2-0/ https://US.StokeSeeds.com/collard-0380011.html

There is no shortage of leafy green vegetable varieties to choose from. But which ones are right for your crop portfolio and customers? Scan the photo gallery below for several fresh choices from leading seed breeders and distributors.

Disease Code Key

Bl: Bremia lactucae

CLS: Cercospora leaf spot

DM: Downy Mildew

F: Fusarium

HR: High Resistance

IR: Intermediate Resistance

LMV: Lettuce Mosaic Virus

MTO: Mosaic tolerance zero

Pfs: Peronospora farinosa f.sp. spinaciae

T: Tolerance