Growing Lettuce

lactuca sativa : Asteraceae / the daisy family

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

(Best months for growing Lettuce in Australia - sub-tropical 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 8°C and 27°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 20 - 30 cm 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
  • Lettuce table-ready
  • Lettuce seedlings

Lettuce offer a range of shapes, sizes and colours but they are all easy to grow.

Choose a variety marked on the seed packet as suitable for the time of year as some do badly in the very hot months.

Try to provide some shade to prevent them 'bolting' to flower and seed in the hottest months.

Sow in rows and use thinnings as small salad greens.

Ideal crop for succession planting.

Lettuce are shallow rooted so water daily in hot or dry weather to prevent bitter flavour. and bolting.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Lettuce

Wash well, spin or shake dry and use in salads and sandwiches

Your comments and tips

18 Jul 24, CANDY (Canada - Zone 5b Temperate Warm Summer climate)
CAN I SOW SEEDS NOW IN A POT AS I AM A A BALCONY PLANTER- THANKYOU
04 Jul 24, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate)
Agriculture: Molybdenum deficiency is often only revealed in LOW YIELDS. Mo deficiency is the most widespread deficiency after Zinc & Boron. Excess molybdenum in pastures can give rise to animal health problems (in reality it is the nitrogen - Mo acts as bottle neck, so that plants can't uptake a lot of nitrogen -- in high Mo soils nitrogen uptake can be too high-- Ireland -- maybe investigate Denitrifying bacteria, microorganisms whose action results in the conversion of nitrates in soil to free atmospheric nitrogen - also useable in areas where nitrogen is washing into the lakes, rivers and streams). ********** Sometimes Molybdenum (Mo) deficiency can appear like a nitrogen deficiency ************** - it makes sense since Molybdenum (Mo) is required for plant assimilation of nitrogen (both atmosphere and soil). So you might be applying lots of nitrogen.... in situations where you have a molybdenum deficiency.... then just washing away your nitrogen into local rivers, lakes and streams.************* this will cause health problems in aquatic life ******************* Molybdenum is present in the lithosphere at average levels up to 2·3 mg kg−1 but can increase in concentration (300 mg kg−1) in shales that contain significant organic matter. The sources of high-molybdenum soils are Carboniferous black shales and limestones. Don't worry so much about the numbers - it's enough to know that Carboniferous black shales may contain 150 times more Mo than average (in the lithosphere). Molybdenum was the most abundant trace element present in the soluble and insoluble extractions of the wood-ash. ** also see banana peel compost which are high in molybdenum (Mo). *** Take away -- nitrogen is usually not the problem when you see symptoms of nitrogen deficiency -- it is more likely a Molybdenum deficiency.
01 May 24, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Yum
24 Nov 23, KCS (USA - Zone 9b climate)
How much sun/shade does lettuce require? Would love to plant in a mostly shaded area of the outside.
05 Dec 23, Faith Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
MOSTLY Shade greens (which is a couple of hours of sun per day): Asian greens (bok choi, pak choi, komatsuna, tatsoi), misuna, kale. mustard greens, arugula AND yes, lettuce... but when you say mostly shade.... and I start to think of what the conditions are like after watering.... wet shade.... and for my zone this means slugs and slugs love lettuce; and for that reason I would probably go with a green other than lettuce -- looking in particular for a firmer, stronger tasting (hotter) green. SOME SEEDS need light to germinate... so you need to start these plants elsewhere and transplant, or perhaps chose a green whose seeds do not need light to germinate.
30 Nov 23, (USA - Zone 3a climate)
Most crops need plenty of sun otherwise they grow small and weak. There are different varieties to plant in summer or winter.
01 Nov 23, Madison (USA - Zone 9b climate)
How much water does Lettuce need when hardening off???
05 Nov 23, (USA - Zone 3a climate)
Keep soil moist but not soggy wet. A light watering each day. Even twice a day.
29 Oct 23, Getz (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi I just planted lettuce, after few days some leaves come out but the day after disappeared! I notice lots of little lizards, do the lizards could eat my lettuce? Cheers Getz
05 Nov 23, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Check for birds also.
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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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