The Promise of Seeds: Magic in a Packet: 1883 - Commodore Nutt: The Lettuce, The Man

Commodore Nutt, the man, was the rage of Europe and United States around the 1860s. Read the Wiki page on his life, it was fascinating!

In the lettuce world Tom Thumb, the man, had already lent his name to a good small lettuce, so when another small lettuce was developed the Commodore's name leapt to mind.

I do not know who introduced Commodore Nutt to the trade. It may have been Suttons, Seedsman to the Queen...but then again maybe not. It did stay in the trade for 40 years or more. By the way, Tom Thumb lettuce is still available, Nutt is not.

"Lettuces are a favourite salad, and several new varieties have recently appeared. One remarkably small early variety is well named the Commodore Nutt Cabbage Lettuce (Fig. 2). It is of a darker green colour, with closer and more compact habit, than Tom Thumb, and remains in use longer before going to seed. It comes remarkably early, is of splendid flavour, and for the first cuttings and small gardens will be found invaluable, as it may be planted four inches apart. Respecting this lettuce, the Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe's gardener considers it "a great acquisition". "Livestock Journal Almanac, 1878

"Commodore Nutt is a Cabbage Lettuce of the All the Year Round type ; but it proved to be still dwarfer than that variety. It is nearly all heart, does not run to seed so soon as some of the larger kinds, and is a great acquisition, owing to its taking up so little room in beds or rows." The Kitchen and Market Garden, 1882

Lettuce Commodore Nutt

At this time of year, when the autumn sown Lettuce for early spring supply is damping off wholesale, any kind that can be grown quickly to maintain a somewhat scanty supply will be valuable. In our own case damp is more fatal to the autumn-sown plants than frost. Against the latter one can protect, but excessive damp is fatal.

Last season we found Commodore Nutt Lettuce our earliest to mature. Seedlings sown in boxes early in January and grown under glass gave compact heads early in April; it is a small variety but remarkably sweet. Planted in boxes a few inches apart it turns in rapidly, and its compact habit. for it may be termed all heart, makes it more useful.

I am aware there are much larger forcing varieties, such as Golden Queen, a very fine Lettuce, and excellent to follow the one named above, but as many readers of The GARDEN are aware the scarcity exists usually in April or early May, and even a few days gain is important. For frame purposes this variety is especially good; I have grown it in pots, but prefer boxes or shallow frames; if in boxes a little warmth at the start is beneficial.—VV.The Garden: An Illustrated Weekly Journal of Gardening, 1901