Growing Lettuce

lactuca sativa : Asteraceae / the daisy family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
  S S                  
      T T              
      P P P P          

(Best months for growing Lettuce in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden, or start in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 46°F and 81°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 8 - 12 inches apart
  • Harvest in 8-12 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Carrots, Onions, Strawberries, Beets, Brassicas, Radish, Marigold, Borage, Chervil, Florence fennel, leeks.
  • Avoid growing close to: Parsley, Celery

Your comments and tips

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30 Jan 13, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Kate! What a great idea. My slight adaptation is I am not trying too raise great quantities so I put two sets in each ziplock bag and tuck a plastic marker tag inside each of sets saying what it is (with a Chinagraph pencil - they don't wash off) and the date when started. Regards, John
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26 Jan 12, Trev (Australia - temperate climate)
During germination you may need to keep them iout of sunlight. I start mine in the shade completely. They only need water to get started. You can start giving them some sun when the leaves appear.
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19 Jan 12, rob (Australia - temperate climate)
the only thing that i can think of is the amount of sun that the beds are getting and the seeds need to be kept moist to germinate
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28 Nov 12, Jim (Australia - temperate climate)
Try covering the seeds with 4 or 5 layers of newspaper and watering the paper to keep them moist and dark.
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03 Mar 12, gary ellard (Australia - temperate climate)
try putting hessian bags over the area where the seeds are planted and keep moist . this will work for nearly all planted seeds and they will germinate a lot quicker than stated on the packet. YOU MUST KEEP THE HESSIAN WET/DAMP.
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30 Dec 11, tammy (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have grown letuces for the first time and they are growing really well BUT each lettuce has 2 or 3 heads on it. There is the main one in the middle and they all either have another one or 2 heads growing off the side. they are beautiful and firm. IS THIS NORMAL, i have really good brown dirt in yard and added a bag of organic animal manure to soil 2 weeks before planting.
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04 Dec 11, Simon Adelaide Hills (Australia - temperate climate)
I have planted Cos lettuce for the past two years while they grow well they do not seen to develop a good heart. They are in good sun for 3/4 of the day in well draining soil. The soil was prepared with home compost and pea strall, any thoughts please
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12 Dec 11, Randy (Australia - temperate climate)
Cos lettuce don't develop a heart like eg iceberg lettuce. Just keep taking leaves from the outside as it continues to grow.
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27 Nov 11, katy (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi, I planted 4 lettuces 9 weeks ago and they have grown into great little bunches. I pulled some of the other day to put in a sandwich and it was terrible bittery....help!! they are only planted next to tomatoes..
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13 Dec 11, Tracey (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Katy 9 weeks is a long time for them to only produce little bunches. For mild sweet flavour lettuce need to be grown fast - that is, plenty of water and plenty of available nutrients in the soil, including plenty of available nitrogen. Otherwise they can be quite bitter. Is it possible they got too dry or that the soil was not amended before they went in? Fortnightly feeding with something like worm tea can help if you're growing in containers or still building up your soil. Lettuce also tends to become bitter if it is going to seed, but if that's the problem you would be able to see the central flower stalk forming.
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Showing 171 - 180 of 258 comments
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To increase the levels of Molybdenum (Mo, also called Molly) in your soils -- wood ash (from a fireplace, firepit, or barbeque) can be incorporated into the soil. Alternatively, Banana peels are an excellent source of Moly. Animal manure tends to (grass/grain/vegetable feeders) tend to have a decent amount of Moly in their manure. If all of these are out of reach, perhaps try incorporating wood chips/bark mulch in your garden. You can make bark chip paths, use the paths, then the following year when the chips are broken down mix them into the soil. OR -- just mix the wood chips (bark, mulch, whatever) directly into the soil. As the wood is breaking down it takes a lot of nitrogen. I would expect to find Moly in leaf mulch - but have not found any reliable sources that have stated this as a fact. If you choose to use chemical forms of Moly remember that this is a TRACE element - VERY little is needed and over application can result in a OTHER problems. Staying organic almost guarantees you will not over apply. If you live in an area where wood burning stoves and fireplaces where common for heating (pre- electric fireplaces and stoves) - and you know people old enough to have been around when wood ash was common in the garden (there was no place else to put it) - they can tell you how amazing the gardens where back then.

- Celeste Archer

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