Red Baron Plus
Brassica rapa
Wikimedia Commons
Narrow serrated leaf with red front and green back. Distinctive from similar types: different leaf shape and color than Red Kingdom, our purple mizuna; and faster growing than Miz America, our serrated red mustard.
Harvest
19d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Zones
5–9
USDA hardiness
Height
3 feet
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Red Baron Plus in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 lettuce →Zone Map
Click a state to update dates
Red Baron Plus · Zones 5–9
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | — | — | May – June | May – October |
| Zone 4 | — | — | April – June | May – October |
| Zone 5 | — | — | April – May | May – November |
| Zone 6 | — | — | April – May | April – November |
| Zone 7 | — | — | March – May | April – November |
| Zone 8 | — | — | March – April | March – December |
| Zone 9 | — | — | February – March | February – December |
| Zone 10 | — | — | January – March | February – December |
| Zone 1 | — | — | June – July | June – September |
| Zone 2 | — | — | May – July | June – September |
| Zone 11 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 12 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 13 | — | — | January – February | January – December |
Succession Planting
Red Baron Plus hits harvest in about 19 days, which makes it one of the faster-cycling crops you can grow — fast enough that skipping successions is a real waste of bed space. Direct sow every 14 days from March through early May in zone 7. Once daytime highs are consistently above 80°F, lettuce bolts and turns bitter fast, so your last spring sowing should go in no later than mid-May. You can pick back up in late August or early September as temperatures drop back below 80°F, and carry through October with row cover if nights dip below 32°F.
Each sowing only needs a short run — a 3-foot band at 6-inch spacing gives you about 6 heads, which is plenty for a household between cuts. Rotate each sowing to a different part of the bed rather than hitting the same ground back-to-back; repeated lettuce in one spot builds up downy mildew (Bremia lactucae) pressure in the soil over time.
Complete Growing Guide
Narrow serrated leaf with red front and green back. Distinctive from similar types: different leaf shape and color than Red Kingdom, our purple mizuna; and faster growing than Miz America, our serrated red mustard. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Red Baron Plus is 19 days to maturity, annual, hybrid (f1). Notable features: Hydroponic Performer.
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Soil: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 0 ft. 10 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 12 inches-3 feet. Growth rate: Medium. Maintenance: Medium. Propagation: Seed, Stem Cutting. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Red Baron Plus reaches harvest at 19 days from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.
The fruits dry and split when ripe.
Color: Brown/Copper, Green. Type: Siliqua. Length: > 3 inches.
Garden value: Edible
Harvest time: Fall, Summer
Bloom time: Spring, Summer
Edibility: The foliage is edible raw or cooked but when cooked can emit an unpleasant odor.
Storage & Preservation
Red Baron Plus lettuce keeps best at 32–36°F with 95% humidity in a breathable plastic bag or perforated container, away from ethylene-producing fruits. Expect 7–10 days of acceptable crispness before noticeable wilting occurs. For longer storage, blanch whole heads for 2–3 minutes, chill in ice water, then freeze in airtight bags for up to 8 months; thawed lettuce works well in cooked dishes rather than fresh applications. Drying is less practical for this variety due to high water content, though you can dehydrate leaves for tea or crumbled seasoning at 95–115°F until brittle. Red Baron Plus's deep pigmentation holds better through freezing than lighter varieties, making it a reliable choice if you're preserving beyond immediate harvest.
History & Origin
Red Baron Plus is an F1 hybrid developed through controlled cross-pollination. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.
Brassica rapa is an annual to biennial plant species native to Eurasia that is from the Brassicaceae family. The B. rapa subspecies oleifera is an oilseed commonly known as turnip rape, field mustard, bird's rape, and keblock.
Advantages
- +Fast 19-day maturity makes it ideal for quick succession planting
- +Distinctive red-and-green coloring adds visual appeal to salad mixes
- +Narrow serrated leaves provide interesting texture compared to similar varieties
- +Easy growing difficulty suitable for beginners and commercial producers
Considerations
- -Red coloring may fade or lose vibrancy in excessive heat stress
- -Serrated leaf edges require careful handling to prevent bruising during harvest
Companion Plants
Radishes and chives are the most useful neighbors for Red Baron Plus. Radishes germinate in 4–6 days and draw flea beetles away from young lettuce leaves — those small, round shotgun-hole punctures you'll see on seedlings are almost always flea beetle damage, and radishes take the hit instead. Chives and garlic planted at the bed corners deter aphids through the sulfur compounds in their tissue. Since aphids are the primary vector for lettuce mosaic virus, that's a practical benefit with a real mechanism behind it.
Fennel is allelopathic to most vegetables, lettuce included — keep it at least 3 feet away or it will stunt whatever you plant next to it. Broccoli is a problem for different reasons: it needs 18–24 inches of spacing, feeds heavily on nitrogen, and its canopy will shade out a low bed of lettuce long before Red Baron Plus hits its 19-day harvest window. Sunflowers do the same thing faster — they'll climb past 5 feet and cut your light entirely.
Plant Together
Chives
Repels aphids and improves lettuce flavor when planted nearby
Carrots
Deep roots don't compete with shallow lettuce roots, helps break up soil
Radishes
Fast-growing, helps mark lettuce rows and loosens soil for lettuce roots
Marigolds
Deters aphids, whiteflies, and nematodes that commonly attack lettuce
Spinach
Similar growing requirements, can be succession planted together
Garlic
Natural pest deterrent against aphids and slugs that damage lettuce
Nasturtiums
Acts as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles, protecting lettuce
Dill
Attracts beneficial insects that prey on lettuce pests like aphids
Keep Apart
Broccoli
Large leaves create too much shade, stunting lettuce growth
Fennel
Releases allelopathic compounds that inhibit lettuce seed germination and growth
Sunflowers
Tall growth creates excessive shade and competes heavily for nutrients
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #2346388)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Common Pests
Aphids, slugs, caterpillars, flea beetles
Diseases
Lettuce mosaic virus, downy mildew, gray mold
Troubleshooting Red Baron Plus
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Seedlings collapsing at soil level within the first 7–10 days after direct sowing — stems pinched-looking, tissue dark and water-soaked at the base
Likely Causes
- Damping off — most commonly Pythium spp. or Rhizoctonia solani — soil-borne fungi that thrive in cool, wet, poorly drained conditions
- Overwatering or heavy clay soil that stays saturated after germination
What to Do
- 1.Pull the dead seedlings and check the survivors; if fuzzy white mold is visible on the soil surface (a sign NC State Extension's IPM case studies flag as diagnostic), assume damping off and act immediately
- 2.Stop watering until the top inch of soil dries slightly, and work compost into the bed before the next sowing to open up drainage
- 3.Start fresh seed in a new spot or a clean container — a bed already heavily infected isn't worth trying to rehabilitate mid-season
Leaves showing irregular yellow mosaic patterning or puckering, plants stunted compared to neighboring plants at the same stage
Likely Causes
- Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV) — spread by aphids, which colonize the undersides of leaves and can arrive within days of germination
- Infected seed stock
What to Do
- 1.Flip leaves and check for aphid colonies; knock them off with a firm spray of water or apply insecticidal soap at a 2% solution
- 2.Pull and bag any plant showing strong mosaic symptoms — LMV has no cure and aphids will carry it to adjacent rows within days
- 3.Drape row cover over young plants for the first 2–3 weeks to cut aphid pressure before the canopy fills in
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Red Baron Plus lettuce take to harvest?▼
Is Red Baron Plus lettuce good for beginner gardeners?▼
Can you grow Red Baron Plus lettuce in containers?▼
What does Red Baron Plus lettuce taste like?▼
How much space does Red Baron Plus lettuce need between plants?▼
When should I plant Red Baron Plus lettuce?▼
Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
- BreederJohnny's Selected Seeds
- USDAUSDA FoodData Central
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.