Growing Lettuce

lactuca sativa : Asteraceae / the daisy family

Mar	Apr	May	Jun
S	S	S
	T	T	T
	P	P	P

(Best months for growing Lettuce in Australia - 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

Your comments and tips

29 Mar 09, Bill Gibbo (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I have tried 3 or 4 different types of lettuce seedlings and also grown them from seed - all have the same problem going straight to seed without hearting, they are watered by bore sprinkler every day and in full sun. Any ideas?
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10 Mar 09, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Georgie, Sounds like your lettuce maybe getting too much sun. I grow mine in filtered sun/semi shade in summer and they cope much better.
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07 Feb 09, georgie (Australia - sub-tropical climate): virtually every seedling lettuce I put in wilted and died within a week or so. what sort of conditions do they like??mine were in sun with enriched soil
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05 Feb 09, sharon matthews (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Gerri...ive heard that lettuce needs to be grown fast for it to be sweet. Lots of nitrogen rich organic liquid fertiliser.
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14 Jan 09, sam (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I am having trouble with growing my lettuce ,they r in the shade and get loys of water including thrive but they r dying can anyone help. cheers sam am in brisbane
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01 Dec 08, Gerri (Brisbane) (Australia - sub-tropical climate): My Iceberg letttuce grew fast and look perfect but are not sweet. Any tips on how to grow sweet lettuce (and other veggies) in Brisbane please?
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21 Sep 08, PaulinBrisbane (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Wondering if anyone can tell me the minimum soil depth Lettuce requires ?
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29 Jul 08, Barbara in Lane Cove (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I'm growing very happy lettuce in hanging baskets in the middle of my clothes line - it's the best place for winter sun, plus the slugs haven't found their way up there (yet) :-) There's still room for the washing around the outside.
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28 Jul 08, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate): I grow lettuce through the winter frosts. They thrive under agri-fleece material, and survive uncovered so long as the ground doesn't freeze. A chinese cos-style lettuce 'Glenda White' that I got from seed savers years ago does particularly well through winter.
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28 Jul 08, Michelle (Australia - temperate climate): I am on the Mornington Peninsula area in Vic which often has frosty temps in Winter. I have lettuce growing from June-Aug with no major frost problems, or pests. Bunnings sells organic pest sprays which are okay.
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Replying to:

Hi Tara, the planting guide says you can plant lettuce in the garden now but how well it does may depend on where you are located and how hot your weather will be. I had a similar dilemma because I live in SW Qld and we have really hot long summers. I tried sowing some seeds in January but they didn't germinate and I read in a gardening book that they will not germinate in temps over 28 degrees. The same book also mentioned that it is possible to germinate lettuces in the fridge so that is what I have done :-D. I now have cute little lettuce seedlings almost ready to plant into the garden (2 loose leaf varieties) and after a couple of cooler days in the last week I have found some of my previous lettuces have self seeded and I have more plants coming up in the garden! I guess i will find out if they survive or not! The biggest danger in the hot temps is that the plants may go to seed quickly meaning less lettuce to eat. If planting lettuces this time of year it is important to give them plenty of shade and lots of water on the hot days. If the plants still go to seed quickly it may be just too hot for them and you can learn for next year. As far as which varieties to choose you should avoid heading lettuces like icebergs because I have heard you won't get a good head on them if it is too hot. I am not an expert - I have only been growing veg for about a year - but you should consider doing what I did and buy some mixed lettuce seedlings from your nearest garden shop and keeping the seeds from the varieties you like the best! Alternatively if any of your friends grow their own you can ask them for a taste or any spare seeds. If you already have some seeds you can always give them a try and see what works best!! If there are any more experienced gardeners out there feel free to correct me if I am wrong!

- Kt

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Growing Lettuce

lactuca sativa : Asteraceae / the daisy family

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Growing Lettuce

lactuca sativa : Asteraceae / the daisy family

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