Red Cloud
Brassica rapa
Wikimedia Commons
Very uniform and upright with beautifully cupped and rounded leaves. Mild flavor, deep color, and a juicy, crunchy texture. Maintains baby-leaf size for extended harvest window. Can also be grown to full size where it pairs with Koji for striking bunches. Thin to 8-12" apart for full-size heads.
Harvest
28d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Zones
5–9
USDA hardiness
Height
3 feet
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Red Cloud in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 lettuce →Zone Map
Click a state to update dates
Red Cloud · 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
Direct sow Red Cloud every 14 days from March 1 through May in zone 7. At 28 days to maturity, two weeks between sowings keeps a near-continuous cut without a glut or a gap. Once daytime highs are consistently above 80°F — typically late May into June in most of zone 7 — the plants bolt fast and the flavor turns sharp. Stop sowing for summer and pick back up around August 15, every 14 days through early October, for fall harvests before frost shuts things down.
Each sowing only needs a short row — 3–4 feet feeds most households. Thin to 8 inches apart and eat the thinnings as baby greens. Don't skip the thinning step; crowded plants bolt earlier and trap moisture that invites downy mildew (Bremia lactucae) to move in.
Complete Growing Guide
Very uniform and upright with beautifully cupped and rounded leaves. Mild flavor, deep color, and a juicy, crunchy texture. Maintains baby-leaf size for extended harvest window. Can also be grown to full size where it pairs with Koji for striking bunches. Thin to 8-12" apart for full-size heads. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Red Cloud is 28 baby; 45 full size to maturity, annual, hybrid (f1). Notable features: Cold Tolerant, Hydroponic Performer, Heat Tolerant.
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 Cloud reaches harvest at 28 baby; 45 full size from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. Expect 8-12" at peak. 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 Cloud lettuce keeps best at 32–36°F with 95% humidity in a perforated plastic bag within your crisper drawer. Properly stored, heads remain crisp and fresh for 7–10 days. Beyond that window, quality declines noticeably as leaves begin to brown and wilt.
For preservation, lettuce isn't ideal for freezing or canning due to its high water content and delicate structure. Drying is possible but yields limited culinary value. Your better option is fermentation: shred the leaves, salt at 2–3% by weight, pack into a jar, and weight down until brine forms. Fermented Red Cloud develops a pleasant tang and keeps for several months in cool conditions.
Red Cloud's dense head structure resists early bolting better than many red varieties, so you can often extend your harvest window by 3–5 days if storage space is limited—simply leave mature heads in the garden rather than picking all at once.
History & Origin
Red Cloud 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
- +Maintains baby-leaf size for extended harvest window without frequent replanting
- +Beautiful deep red color and cupped leaves create visually striking bunches
- +Very uniform and upright growth habit makes harvesting and bunching efficient
- +Juicy, crunchy texture with mild flavor appeals to broad palates
- +Quick 28-day maturity allows multiple succession plantings per season
Considerations
- -Requires consistent moisture and spacing discipline to prevent bolting prematurely
- -Deep red pigmentation may fade if exposed to excessive heat stress
- -Pairs primarily with Koji variety for full-size head aesthetics and commercial appeal
Companion Plants
Radishes are probably the most useful thing you can plant alongside Red Cloud. They germinate in 5–7 days, break up surface crust, and draw flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) away from the lettuce. Pull them before they bolt and you've also done a light cultivation pass without disturbing your lettuce roots. Chives and garlic work a different angle — their sulfur compounds confuse aphids that would otherwise colonize the undersides of lettuce leaves. French marigolds (Tagetes patula specifically, not the big African types) have a similar deterrent effect on aphids and suppress soil nematodes over multiple seasons — slow payoff, but it compounds if you're planting the same beds year after year.
Broccoli is the one to skip as a neighbor. Both are heavy nitrogen feeders, and at 8–12 inch spacing they'll pull from the same root zone. Broccoli also shades hard once it sizes up, and lettuce crowded under it stretches, turns bitter, and bolts faster than the 28-day window you're counting on. Sunflowers create the same shade problem — fine elsewhere in the garden, just not right next to a crop racing to head up before the heat hits.
Plant Together
Chives
Repels aphids and improves lettuce flavor while providing natural pest deterrent
Marigolds
Deters nematodes, aphids, and other harmful insects while attracting beneficial predators
Carrots
Loosens soil for lettuce roots and uses different soil nutrients, maximizing space efficiency
Radishes
Acts as trap crop for flea beetles and breaks up soil for lettuce root development
Spinach
Similar growing requirements and harvest times, efficient use of garden space
Garlic
Repels aphids, slugs, and other soft-bodied pests that commonly attack lettuce
Nasturtiums
Acts as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles while attracting beneficial insects
Dill
Attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings that prey on lettuce pests
Parsley
Attracts beneficial insects and has different root depth, reducing competition
Keep Apart
Broccoli
Competes for similar nutrients and space, can shade lettuce and stunt growth
Sunflowers
Allelopathic chemicals inhibit lettuce germination and growth, plus creates excessive shade
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, snails, flea beetles, caterpillars
Diseases
Downy mildew, lettuce mosaic virus, damping off
Troubleshooting Red Cloud
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Seedlings collapsing at the soil line within the first 7–10 days after planting — stems look pinched or water-soaked at the base
Likely Causes
- Damping off — a complex of soil-borne fungi (commonly Pythium or Rhizoctonia) that NC State Extension's IPM case studies flag as a serious killer of lettuce seedlings, especially in beds with a history of the disease
- Overwatering combined with poor drainage, which accelerates fungal spread
What to Do
- 1.Don't replant lettuce in the same raised bed three years running without amending heavily — rotate to a different spot for at least one season
- 2.If you see fuzzy white mold on the soil surface, pull the dead seedlings immediately and let the bed dry out slightly before resowing
- 3.Start fresh seed in sterile seed-starting mix rather than garden soil, and thin to the recommended 8–12 inch spacing so air can move between plants
White to gray fuzzy coating on the undersides of outer leaves, with yellow patches on the upper surface — usually appears in cool, wet stretches
Likely Causes
- Downy mildew (Bremia lactucae) — a water mold that spreads fast when nights drop below 65°F and foliage stays wet
- Overhead irrigation late in the day that keeps leaves damp overnight
What to Do
- 1.Switch to drip irrigation or water in the morning so leaves dry before nightfall
- 2.Strip and trash (don't compost) affected outer leaves as soon as you spot them — don't let them sit on the soil
- 3.Red Cloud matures in 28 days, so if mildew shows up early in a planting, it's often faster to harvest what's usable and start a clean succession than to try to save the bed
Leaves covered in tiny ragged holes or a shot-hole pattern, especially on young transplants in late spring
Likely Causes
- Flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) — small, jumping beetles that feed heavily on brassicas and will hit nearby lettuce too
- Planting into bare, dry soil with no mulch, which flea beetles prefer for pupating
What to Do
- 1.Cover transplants immediately with row cover (Agribon-15 or similar) and seal the edges — flea beetles don't need much of a gap
- 2.Lay 2–3 inches of straw mulch around the base of plants to disrupt the soil conditions beetles need to complete their life cycle
- 3.Interplant with radishes as a trap crop — flea beetles tend to hit radishes first, which buys the lettuce some breathing room
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Red Cloud lettuce take to harvest?▼
Is Red Cloud lettuce good for beginners?▼
Can you grow Red Cloud lettuce in containers?▼
What does Red Cloud lettuce taste like?▼
When should I plant Red Cloud lettuce?▼
Does Red Cloud pair well with other lettuce varieties?▼
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.