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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05 Sep 18, Jane (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Eugenia - What I have found (so far) is that older types of lettuce have grown better where I am where-as the softer leaf ones struggle. A purple coloured one died. I am trying butter crunch, and all seasons lettuce at present although our climates are different. I have drought. You have heavy rains. Not sure any of this will help. You could try different types of lettuce and see what happens.
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04 Mar 18, Lonnie (USA - Zone 6b climate)
Planting lettuce
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12 Feb 18, zuelly mbhele (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
i would love to know if no till method of planting would be efficient in the growing of lettuce.
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18 Jan 18, Doug (USA - Zone 5b climate)
Planting lettuce indoors and will transplant outdoors after last frost in May. Keeping some of the plants indoors and will move to larger containers before the roots bind up. My starting mix will need added organic fertilizer after the real leaves are put on and grow light intensity needs to be increased somewhat for indoor food production. If this experiment works, I may continue growing through next winter. As for my outdoor lettuce, last summer I managed to get several cuttings. This year I will be planting on the north side of pole beans so that when the beans are tall and the summer heat comes on, my hope is the shade will increase my lettuce yields for a longer period of time .
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15 Oct 17, Garvin Johny (USA - Zone 11b climate)
I'm growing COS lettuce in the Caribbean where it hot and humid most of the year but according to Gardenate lettuce is not suitable for my climate.
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15 Oct 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
"The Caribbean's littlest islands follow a typically Caribbean weather pattern, with December to April the peak months (drier, cooler, less humid) – and September to October the most prolific for hurricanes, with rains starting in June". Dec to April might be the time to grow things - drier cooler less humid.
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15 Oct 17, Liz (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Gardenate is a 'guide' not hard and fast rules. Your microclimate obviously suits cos lettuce. By the way, we have not included inforamtion for the Caribbean because we do not have enough information about the climate.
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02 Jun 17, Les (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I bought a lettuce called Cherokee from the Farmers' Market that was almost black. It had a good taste but I can't find anywhere that sells the seeds and the seller has not been back to the market since. Has anyone heard of this lettuce or knows where to buy the seeds?
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05 Jun 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
I searched for 'Cherokee lettuce seed' and came up with seed available on eBay. it is very dark red and the seed was available from Hong Kong I think. They do send to Australia and quoted around 3 weeks for delivery. Once you get it and grow some let a good specimen go to seed. Then you will have more to sow, share or sell.
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04 Jun 17, Sue (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
The darkest lettuce I know of is Lolla Rossa Darkness, it is actually a very deep red, loose leaf variety. The Seed Vault (www.theseedvault.co.za) has a picture of it as the main picture under lettuce. The only other one that it could possibly be is Red Oakleaf which is also quite dark. In my experience the better the soil the darker the colour presents on the lettuce (or deeper / brighter if it is a green lettuce).
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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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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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