Crisphead varieties (which includes the ubiquitous Icebergs) take about ten to twelve weeks to mature, and should be harvested roots and all. Read more now. Hot weather makes it bitter; extreme cold freezes it. It is easy and planting lettuce can fill the gaps in between other crops. If the lettuce is exposed to 65 to 55ºF, it will take 7 to 10 days to germinate. Harvest in the early morning for the crispest leaves. The soil will benefit from it, as will your health. Lettuce prefers a bright, open position with good air circulation to promote strong, disease-free growth. Lettuce is the perfect vegetable to grow, especially for beginner gardeners because they don't require a lot of care or expertise, but in order for them to grow big and healthy, there are some things you need to know! Learn how to grow lettuce from seed in pots, window boxes or the vegetable garden. Andrew Carberry has been working in food systems since 2008. Lettuce growing will be a snap with these helpful tips for choosing, planting, and harvesting. Direct sow lettuce in the garden 4 weeks before the average last frost date when the soil temperature is at least 35°F (1.7°C). Lettuce Planting Time Through the Year Lettuce is a cool-season crop that must come to harvest before the weather gets warm. Lettuce seeds will germinate in soil temperatures of between 55 to 65°F, and the first sprouts emerge above the soil line in a week to 10-days after planting. Beautiful, nutritious salads freshly harvested from your own backyard will make you feel like a gardening pro. To learn tips from our Professional Gardener reviewer, including how to harvest your lettuce, keep reading! He has a Masters in Public Health Nutrition and Public Health Planning and Administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. This is actually my husband’s favorite so I plant lettuce early and often in the spring, starting two weeks before frost. Consider alternating rows of green and red lettuce for a whimsical touch. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. For an early winter crop: sow outdoors in early August and cover the plants with closed cloches in … (Place bitter tasting lettuce in the refrigerator for two and it will taste less bitter.). Make sure the soil isn't too soggy, and that it has plenty of nitrogen. If you're away from the garden and your lettuce has bolted (gone to seed), put in your compost pile . Heading varieties take longer to mature. Overwatering tends to be the underlying cause for common lettuce diseases such as powdery mildew. You can buy a growing medium or make on from an equal mix of vermiculite, perlite, and milled sphagnum moss. 2. Support wikiHow by You can keep this from happening by pinching off the center of the plant. When planting lettuces between companions like brassicas or tomatoes, give them about 8 inches from the larger plant. In spring you are rushing to get all your lettuce harvested before the heat sets in and turns the leaves bitter. Pick off and destroy leaves with leafminer tunnels. Lettuce prefers moist, cool conditions, and you don’t even have to worry about chilly weather because the seedlings can tolerate a … In cool climates, you can plant lettuce later in the growing season. Growing your own iceberg lettuce is simple, especially when you keep the seedlings indoors for the first couple of months. Use a nutrient-rich, moist soil. Yes. How to Grow Lettuce. Bolted lettuce is inedible. Stagger the planting at 1 to 2 week intervals to get harvests throughout the season. Always pick your lettuce where it meets the stalk. Add 4 inches (10cm) or more of aged compost or commercial organic planting mix to planting beds in advance of planting. It depends on the temperature. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 350,402 times. For loose-leaf varieties, cut outer leaves on a cut-and-come-again basis and allow inner leaves to remain and develop. Finding a job is hard. Lettuce Planting Calendar. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Make sure the soil is humus rich as well. I have never seen a plant that conflicts with lettuce and like to plant them around and under pole beans. To plant loose leaf lettuce, wait until the ground outside has thawed and then mix compost and fertilizer into a bed of soil in a sunny spot. Did you know you can read expert answers for this article? Despite the wide variety of lettuces available, most are not grown commercially in quantity. Pinching off the center of the plant will extend the harvest period. What season is best for growing lettuce in? Stagger the planting at one or two week intervals to get harvests throughout the season. Grow a single head of lettuce in a 6-inch (15cm) container; set lettuce in larger containers on 10-inch centers. Where the weather stays mild or warm most of the year, grow bolt-resistant, heat-tolerant varieties. It is better to avoid use of such products and instead to use diligence in weeding and removing insects by hand, and to use compost and manure as fertilizers. Grow lettuce in any well-drained, fertile soil. For an even earlier crop, sow indoors in early February in seed trays and plant out in early March under cloches or plastic tunnels. The seeds are started indoors and planted just after the first frost. It begins producing seeds and acquires a bitter taste. Pick your lettuce from the outside to the inside. Plant 6 to 10 heads per person in the household. Use shade cloth to protect lettuce from very warm or hot weather. To keep these plants growing quickly, make sure they stay moist and well fertilized. This will help thin it out, ensure the best flavor possible, and helps to prevent seeding. Keep in mind that most lettuces do not grow well in hot temperature, so the last planting date depends on your local climate and the needs of your lettuce cultivar. Hot weather triggers "bolting" in lettuce, halting leaf growth and introducing a bitter flavor. These 6 tips for growing lettuce will ensure a healthy, long lasting crop. 4. You can grow lots of lettuce in a small space, even a container. Learn the ins and outs of growing lettuce, including Loose-leaf, Butterhead, Romaine and Crisphead varieties. Romaine lettuce is typically ready to harvest 60 days after planting. For an interesting variation, mix several types and colors of lettuce seeds in a single package and sow in a continuous row. For best results, use heat-resistant varieties or plant in shade for the final sowings. PLANTING LETTUCE. Turn the soil to 6 inches (15cm) deep. Talk to someone at your local nursery to discuss ways to enrich the soil in your particular region to make it excellent for growing lettuce. Growing lettuce in rows gives your garden a traditional look. Mixing compost into the soil before planting will add organic matter and nutrients to your soil, but you may also need to add a slow release or organic fertilizer at planting time. Andrew Carberry has been working in food systems since 2008. You don't have to be an expert gardener to grow lettuce successfully. Lettuce is a cool-season crop that must come to harvest before the weather gets warm. Lettuce is hardy, but there are certain conditions that won't allow it to grow properly. Lettuce is cold-hardy, so you can usually plant them directly in soil about two weeks before the last expected spring frost, or up to six weeks in advance if protected by cold frames or tunnels. If you’re planning on planting some lettuce, try out companion planting to … Water flowers in the garden when the sun is low, either morning or evening. Regardless of the variety you choose, lettuce is a hardy crop that grows well in most regions. Romaine takes 75 to 85 days and crisphead 70 to 100 days. Cut heads at the crown just above soil level. Direct sow lettuce in the garden when the soil temperature is at least 35°F (1.7°C) Lettuce seed will not germinate in soil cooler than 35°F (1.7°C). I am very happy with the information on lettuce that I have gained. How far apart to plant lettuce depends on the type of lettuce you’re planting. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Lettuce starts to "bolt" in hot conditions toward the end of the growing season. Feed lettuce with compost tea or manure tea every two weeks throughout the season. Lettuce can be sown after soils reach 40°F though seeds germinate best at 55 to 65°F and will emerge in 7 to 10 days. What tools do I need to plant and grow lettuce? Lettuce prefers well-worked, well-drained soil that is moisture retentive. Lettuces are big fans of position and timing. The trick is to stagger plantings every 10 to 14 days so you don’t have all your lettuce at once. Protect lettuce from cold nights or frost with cloches or row covers. How to space lettuce plants -- complete guide to baby greens, looseleaf, or heading lettuce. We have found that fall is really the best time of the year to grow lettuce. If they get waterlogged they may not be able to grow. If you’re not using manure, for really luxurious growth you can add an organic nitrogen source at the time of planting. In the spring, begin setting out lettuce plants about a month before the last frost. Harvest leaves in the morning. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. % of people told us that this article helped them. Keep planting beds evenly moist but not soggy. This article was co-authored by Andrew Carberry, MPH. Garden plans enable growers to allocate space for crops ahead of time, estimate seed quantities to improve economy, and provide a guide when seeding and transplanting time arrives. Lettuce offer a range of shapes, sizes and colours but they are all easy to grow. Helpful tips. Always wash lettuce before eating it, especially if any chemical insecticides or fertilizers were used. Quick to germinate and mature, you can harvest leaves as soon as they’re large enough and go back for more as needed. In mild-winter regions, grow lettuce from autumn through winter into spring. Most lettuce varieties mature in 45 to 55 days, allowing many gardeners to plant two or even three crops. Do this for two or three days, increasing the amount of outdoor time each day. Sow succession crops every three weeks through the winter. Sow bolt-resistant lettuce ½ inch (12mm) deep. When the lettuce reaches your desired size, pluck the outer leaves to let the rest of the plant continue to grow or cut the entire plant off at the base. And you should not use any. Most varieties of lettuce prefer to grow in temperatures not much more than 75 degrees. In hot climates, such as the southern U.S., you'll need to plant the lettuce as soon as possible, or look for a heat-resistant variety. Sow lettuce seed directly in the garden 4 to 6 weeks before the average last frost date in spring. But looseleaf and butterhead leaves can be harvested at just about any time in their development. You can do succession planting which is great, but depending on your growing zone you still may only be able to space out plantings for a few weeks before the weather won’t be suitable anymore. Lettuce can be attacked by aphids, cutworms, leafminers, cabbage loopers, slugs, and snails. You can cover the seed trays with a few layers of newspaper for the first week or so, until the seeds sprout. Approved. Transplant rooted thinnings to another row or spot; transplanted lettuce will be set back a couple of weeks but it will come to harvest. Your lettuce should be ready for harvest anywhere from one to two months after planting. Harvest your lettuce frequently. Since lettuce is best freshly picked, it does not travel or store well. Sow lettuce seed indoors 4 to 6 weeks before you plan to set transplants in the garden—commonly 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost in spring. This is especially important if you live in a hot climate. Growing lettuce is easy in any good garden soil. Mature lettuce is not frost-tolerant. Besides, no store could possibly stock the number of lettuce varieties available to a gardener. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Grow lettuce with carrots, cucumbers, radishes, strawberries, and herbs including cilantro. Soil improved over time with plenty of compost is ideal. As temperatures warm sow bolt-resistant, heat-tolerant varieties. You can even build a cold frame to grow lettuce in winter. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. For the best flavor and crisp texture pick lettuce when you need it and use right away. Where the weather gets cold in winter, time lettuce planting to bring the crop to harvest before the first fall frost or grow lettuce through the winter under a plastic tunnel or cold frame. Read on to learn how to plant lettuce. After planting the seeds, water the soil thoroughly and keep the lettuce watered as it grows. Be sure to harvest before the plant goes to seed, because then it will be bitter. Don't fall behind on weeding, or else you may get some unexpected greens in your salad. In this case, 85% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Plant taller, fast growing vegetables around the lettuce plants to offer cooling shade when the weather gets hot. By using our site, you agree to our. Thin leaf lettuce seedlings to stand 6 to 8 inches (15-20cm) apart and head lettuce to 12 inches (30cm) apart. Growing Lettuce is quite easy and quick. Choose a variety marked on the seed packet as suitable for the time of year as some do badly in the very hot months. “It’s always better to water the plants first thing in the morning because then it has time to dry out,” advises Savio, adding, “There are diseases just floating around in the air. Sow lettuce seed indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the average last frost date in spring; transplant seedlings to the garden when they are about 4 inches (10cm) tall. Sow lettuce seed indoors 4 to 6 weeks before you plan to set transplants in the garden—commonly 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost in spring. You can harvest the whole plant at once by cutting it off at ground level. Broadcast the seeds over tilled soil, then … Eight weeks before the first expected frost in autumn, switch back to cool-weather lettuce varieties. Butterheads are similar to crispies, only smaller. If you are planting a bunch of lettuce all at one time you are going to get one big harvest. Long hot sunny days will cause lettuce to bolt–send up a flower stalk–and go to seed. Next, spread the seeds over tilled soil, then scatter ½ inch of soil on top. Leafminers are the larvae of a fly; exclude the fly from laying eggs by protecting plants with floating row covers. If you don't have slug pallets, iron powder or pellets will work as well. In fact, a spring crop often lasts longer if shaded from the afternoon sun as the season warms. Seeds already contain the nutrients they need to germinate, so you can plant them in a soilless growing medium. If you are planting in late spring or summer, you may need a heat-resistant variety such as Jericho. For snails and slugs, you can use salt instead of pesticides. Sow lettuce again when the weather cools in late summer or fall. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Root and collar rot can occur where the soil stays wet. You can continue to grow indoor seedlings and transplant them outside throughout the growing season. This will result in a homemade mix that can be cut as early as 4 weeks after planting for a tender and beautiful salad. Crisphead varieties an interesting variation, mix several types and colors of lettuce carrots. Loopers, slugs, and store winter Squash Cure, and harvesting will bolt for eating as... 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In soil tastes better than hydroponic lettuce open position with good air circulation promote. Gets warm ( Place bitter tasting lettuce in a hot climate to stop rabbits from eating my lettuce to lettuce. Videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker muddy soil off center... Keep muddy soil off the center of the year lettuce is great in salads, wraps and!