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

21 Mar 15, Rami Ghattas (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in country NSW, Why should I avoid planting lettuce & parsely in the same bed??? I have just did that this morning and now reading this article I am concered? should I dig the one of them out and move it or ?? Thanks in advance for ur help.
15 Feb 16, Dee (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Rami Sometimes plants can stunt the growth of others, starve them of nutrients or attract insects that will devour a crop. I found an interesting article on companion planting on the sgaonline website. Unable to post the link here but if you do a search for the website and 'companion planting' I'm sure you'll find it.
24 Jan 15, kazi taurai (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
wat are the recomended control measure on snails
03 Jan 15, Keren (USA - Zone 7b climate)
Lettuce gets bitter if it's too hot and/or when it bolts. Lettuce is ideal is cool temps, and if grown in hot weather does better in the shade or at least partial shade. Full sun in cool weather is fine. Also, too little water causes butter lettuce. Make sure you are either harvesting the plant all at once, or you pick he outer leaves on a consistent schedule. Picking leaves inconsistently can also cause lettuce to bolt.
30 Dec 14, Luzanne Nell (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
I have a problem with growing iceberg Lettuce. As soon as it starts making heads it rots within 2 weeks time I have to throw them all away. I have same slugs however I do not think this is the main problem. We have a very high rain falls. Could this cause the lettuce to rot?
12 Dec 14, robert helbers (Australia - temperate climate)
When planting lettuce seedlings remove outer leaves and only leave centre of plant. This reduces transplanting stress, you'll notice that the plant revives much faster. the same thing applies to most seedlings like brassicas etc.
19 Nov 14, antonia (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I companion planted my lettuce with strawberries/spinach/forage & beans, something is eating the lettuce. Very tiny holes in the leaves, I don't want to use a strong bug killer, what can I do?
22 Jan 15, Gerrit Hendrik Schorel-Hlavka O.W.B. (Australia - temperate climate)
My wife complained about the same problem. I had a proper look and detected some 14 caterpillars. the took the colour of the leaves and so were hard to see. However, I had made a day earlier as picture of it and checking back I could see the caterpillars. I scraped them off (better not touch them) and used surface spray that kills them about instantly. Actually I now discovered different caterpillars at a tree and spaying on them a little bit of surface spray caused them to drop of-dead. Obviously no good say on vegies, so use a little tool to scrape them off. I have placed a netting around the vegie and no further caterpillars. Do keep in mind that removing the caterpillars may be the first step as eggs may have already been on the plant for others and so you need to keep an eye on it for a few days.
13 Nov 14, Belinda (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Two weeks ago we planted mixed lettuce seedlings. We notice two days ago we planted two together so we pulled them out, separated and replanted them. The very next day all the replanted lettuce had died off. Will it come back and did we do something wrong. Thanks.
11 Oct 15, Mark (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Belinda. From the reading I have done its best to sacrifice the weaker looking seedling with a pair of scissors than disturb the root system.
Showing 111 - 120 of 251 comments

As it says here read the packet for when to plant. Generally the open (not heading) type are better for summer, butter head or butter crunch etc. Try and provide some shade during the day, in the sun in the morning in the shade in the afternoon or shade cloth frame. .

- Anon

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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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