Reine de Mai cabbage lettuce plant with soft green leaves, next to a handful of its seeds

Reine de Mai lettuces in open ground, light green crinkled leaves forming a loose head

Reine de Mai lettuce seeds

Name: Reine de Mai lettuce seeds
Brand: Kokopelli
Price: 3.9 EUR
Availability: InStock

3,90 €

1,30 € × 3 with no fees Klarna.

A very old cabbage lettuce originating from France, Reine de Mai forms a head with a tightly packed heart, with fine, light green leaves tinged with reddish-brown, harvested from April to June.

The packet contains 500 organic, open-pollinated seeds. Sow under cover from January, then in the ground from March to June.

Vegetable seeds

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The summary

What you receive: 500 organic, open-pollinated Reine de Mai lettuce seeds.
Sowing: from January to April under cover, from March to June in place, under a thin layer of soil.
Germination: 7 to 10 days at 10 to 18 °C, seed only just covered.
Harvest: from April to June, a heart of 120 to 180 g cut level with the base.
Space needed: one plant every 30 cm in every direction, transplanted at the 4 true leaf stage.
How to choose: this one for the first salads, Gloire du Dauphiné for two harvests.

Early butterhead lettuce, 500 farmers' seeds, for deep water culture or open ground

Reine de Mai is a very old heading lettuce originating in France, and it is its earliness that makes it worthwhile. Hardy and fast-growing, it forms a medium-sized head with a tightly packed heart, with fine light green leaves tinged with reddish brown. Sown in January under cover, it gives you lettuces from April, at a time when the garden has nothing else to offer, and can be harvested until June.

💡 Germinating in the light

Lettuce seed germinates best in light, so a seed buried at 1 cm comes up poorly or not at all. Cover it with a thin layer of soil, no more, then firm lightly so that it touches the moist medium. If you sow in a pot or tray, keep the seedlings between 10 and 18 °C, about a month before planting out: germination then takes 7 to 10 days. A room that is too warm slows it down, because above 25 °C germination becomes uneven, which explains a good share of the germination failures in late spring.

📆 A new batch every 15 days

When the plants have 4 true leaves, transplant them at 30 cm spacing in every direction, keeping the crown well above the grow medium, as a buried crown rots within a few days. In open ground, direct sowing takes place from March to June, sown thinly and then thinned to the same 30 cm spacing. As Reine de Mai is harvested over a short window, a small sowing every 15 days is better than one large row, which would reach maturity all at once.

In January

Sow under cover, in a pot, in a bright spot kept between 10 and 18 °C.

In March

Sow in place as soon as the soil has dried out enough to work, and transplant the January seedlings.

Every 15 days

Sow a small batch again, as each sowing is harvested over a short window.

The lettuce that kicks off a new system

This lettuce suits a water system that has just been cycled, because its nitrogen needs are low, its roots short and its cycle quick. Set it up on a grow bed or directly on a raft, in a sponge pod that holds the plug, and keep the water level below the collar. Gloire du Dauphiné then takes over in autumn, in the same positions.

Harvesting begins in April on January seedlings and continues until June. Cut the head at the base when it gives slightly under your hand, without waiting for it to be perfect, because if you delay, the long days of late spring make the plant bolt. A mature Reine de Mai weighs 120 to 180 g. It can be eaten raw, with a simple dressing, or cooked like spinach, which lets you use the plants that are starting to elongate.

🧺 Saving your own seeds

Lettuce almost always pollinates itself, which limits crossing between neighbouring varieties and makes seed saving simple. Leave one or two fine plants to form their flower stalk in early summer, flower, then dry out where they stand. The seeds, achenes fitted with a white pappus like those of the dandelion, are collected by shaking the dry heads into a paper bag. Stored dry, they keep good germination for about 3 years, after which you will sow more densely to compensate.

Technical specifications

The sachet

Number of seeds: 500Enough to sow a batch every 15 days over two seasons.
Seed origin: Kokopelli associationOrganic seeds, royalty-free.
Seed type: Open-pollinated, non-hybridReproducible: seed from your own harvest will give the same variety.
Seed storage: Approximately 3 yearsKeep dry, cool and dark. Beyond that, sow more densely.

The variety

Botanical name: Lactuca sativa
Type: Hearting, earlyMedium-sized head with a tightly packed heart.
Colour: Light green tinged with reddish-brownFine, tender leaves.
Weight of an apple: 120 to 180 gEaten raw, or cooked like spinach.

Seedling and harvest

Seedlings under cover: January to AprilIn a small pot or a tray, between 10 and 18 °C.
Direct seedling: March to JuneSow thinly, a batch every 15 days.
Seedling depth: Thin layer of soilThe seed germinates better in the light.
Germination time: 7 to 10 daysAbove 25 °C, germination becomes erratic.
Spacing: 30 cm in every directionTransplanting at the 4 true leaves stage.
Harvest: April to JuneHeart cut level with the crown.

To budget for separately

Seedling medium: Foam pods or fine compost
Container: 1 shallow tub

8 further specifications are available in the detailed view.

In the box

1 paper packet of 500 Reine de Mai lettuce seeds, harvested from organic farming
1 variety label: botanical name, sowing period, and year of seed harvest

Contents, sowing calendar and spacings checked on 11/10/2026 on the seed supplier's sheet. Depths, temperatures and germination times checked on 20/09/2026 on two growing calendars. Heights and storage periods are approximate figures for mainland France.

Reine de Mai or Gloire du Dauphiné

Two farmers' lettuces, each sold in a packet of 500 seeds. The shape of the heart, the texture of the leaf and the number of harvest seasons set them apart.

Two farmhouse lettuces, two harvest windows An early hearting lettuce opens the season in spring, and a batavia comes back in autumn. Start with the date on which you want the salad on your plate.

	Lettuce type	Leaf texture	Colour	Earliness	Seedlings under cover	Direct seedling	Harvest	Autumn harvest	Harvest months of the year (month)
Recommended Reine de Mai lettuce seedsYour choice	Hearting, tight heart	Fine and tender	Light green tinged with reddish-brown	Early	January to April	March to June	April to June	No	3 month
Batavia lettuce seeds, Gloire du DauphinéYour choice	Batavia, large heart	Crunchy	Bright green tinged with red	Mid-season	February to April	April to June, then August and September	April to June, then October and November	Yes	5 month

Reine de Mai lettuce seedsRecommended

The salad

Lettuce typeHearting, tight heart

Leaf textureFine and tender

ColourLight green tinged with reddish-brown

EarlinessEarly

The calendar

Seedlings under coverJanuary to April

Direct seedlingMarch to June

HarvestApril to June

Autumn harvestNo

Harvest months of the year (month)3 month

Batavia lettuce seeds, Gloire du Dauphiné

The salad

Lettuce typeBatavia, large heart

Leaf textureCrunchy

ColourBright green tinged with red

EarlinessMid-season

The calendar

Seedlings under coverFebruary to April

Direct seedlingApril to June, then August and September

HarvestApril to June, then October and November

Autumn harvestYes

Harvest months of the year (month)5 month

Values recorded on 11/10/2026 from the seed supplier's data sheets.

Estimate your
delivery time

A packet of seeds ships as a small parcel. It can be grouped at no extra cost with the rest of your order, and the exact amount is calculated at checkout.

Frequently asked questions

6 questions

6 key questions

Why are my lettuce seeds not germinating?

When should you sow to get salad leaves as early as possible?

Sowing under cover or sowing in place?

Sowing	Period	How
Under cover	January to April	In small pots or trays, between 10 and 18 °C
In place	March to June	Sown thinly, thinned to 30 cm

Sowing under cover gains several weeks at the start of the season, whereas sowing in place avoids transplanting.

How many plants should you sow at once?

Is this lettuce suitable for an aquaponic system that has just started up?

Yes, it is even one of the crops that cope best with it.

A lettuce uses little nitrogen, develops a short fibrous root system and completes its cycle quickly. Where a fruiting plant waits until the system has been running for several weeks, the Reine de Mai will grow in a bed that is still young, provided you keep the water level below the crown and the water under 22 °C.

The ranking of crops by appetite appears in the 15 plants to grow in aquaponics.

Can you sow Reine de Mai in summer?

Growing calendar

Guidelines for mainland France, to be shifted by about 2 weeks depending on your region.

Stage
Seedlings under cover4 months	Seedlings under cover in January	Seedlings under cover in February	Seedlings under cover in March	Seedlings under cover in April	Seedlings under cover: no	Seedlings under cover: no	Seedlings under cover: no	Seedlings under cover: no	Seedlings under cover: no	Seedlings under cover: no	Seedlings under cover: no	Seedlings under cover: no
Direct seedling4 months	Direct seedling: no	Direct seedling: no	Direct seedling in March	Direct seedling in April	Direct seedling in May	Direct seedling in June	Direct seedling: no	Direct seedling: no	Direct seedling: no	Direct seedling: no	Direct seedling: no	Direct seedling: no
Transplanting3 months	Transplanting: no	Transplanting: no	Transplanting in March	Transplanting in April	Transplanting in May	Transplanting: no	Transplanting: no	Transplanting: no	Transplanting: no	Transplanting: no	Transplanting: no	Transplanting: no
Harvest3 months	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest in April	Harvest in May	Harvest in June	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest: no

KeySeedlings under coverDirect seedlingTransplantingHarvest

This month October

Growing guidance

Seedling depth: Thin layer of soilThe seed germinates better in the light
Germination temperature: 10 to 18 °CAbove 25 °C, germination becomes uneven
Germination time: 7 to 10 days
Weight of an apple: 120 to 180 g
Spacing: 30 cm in every directionAfter transplanting or thinning
Lettuce type: Hearting, earlyMedium-sized lettuce with a tight heart
Aspect: Sun or partial shadePartial shade delays bolting
Sowing schedule: Every 15 daysTo spread out a short harvest window
pH in aquaponics: 6.5 to 7.5The usual balance between fish, bacteria and plants
Seed storage: Around 3 yearsDry and away from light

What you need to know

Cover the seed with a fine layer of soil, no more. Lettuce germinates better in the light, and a seed buried at 1 cm comes up poorly, which makes people think the packet is faulty.
Water the compost before sowing, not after. Watering afterwards moves the seeds lying on the surface and pushes them down, which gives patchy, chequerboard emergence.
Thin out in two passes, first to 10 cm and then to 30 cm. The plants removed at the first pass can be transplanted elsewhere and almost catch up.
When transplanting, keep the crown clearly above the support. A buried crown rots within a few days, and it is the most frequent loss after germination.
Sow in small batches of 5 to 8 plants every 15 days. An early variety is harvested over a short window, and a single sowing all arrives at once.
In aquaponics, lettuce is happy in a young system: little nitrogen, short roots, a fast cycle. Simply keep the water level below the crown and the water under 22 °C.