Growing Lettuce

lactuca sativa : Asteraceae / the daisy family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
    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 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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15 Feb 16, Dee (Australia - temperate climate)
Sounds like they're having water and heat problems Debbie. Pretty tough to deal with in the Perth heat I imagine. You could always collect the seed and try another crop at a cooler time.
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12 Jan 16, Andy (Australia - arid climate)
Yup I think it would be hard to grow in summe, the arid Australia climate zone is probably more accurate. Meaning you could start planting in March but I think more realistically April.
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26 Oct 15, john roche (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Chris, I googled Glenda White and found your old post. Best lettuce ever. Is the seed available anywhere now? Best regards John Roche
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26 Jun 15, Peter (Australia - temperate climate)
Just planted lettuce and asking what I need to do so they don't get eaten by bugs and slugs.
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08 Oct 15, Peter Levett (Australia - temperate climate)
Gday Pete, I grow heaps of "close to the ground" short marigolds to keep lugs and snails out of the garden, & tall marigolds for higher plants like tomatoes & chillies to deter fruit fly, & a whole punnet of Thai Sweet Basil around each tomato plant . You can give me a call if you would like to on 02 63450027. I live 24 km from Cowra in the Central west NSW. Cheers Pete Levett
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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Showing 71 - 80 of 196 comments
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I live on Central Coast and grow lettuce through late autumn to late winter. I raise them in seed trays or scatter them in the garden as soon as the last really hot day has gone by and temperatures are no more than 35 degrees c or below. When I put them straight in the garden I scatter seeds over small area and cover with seed raising mix. I keep them moist with a gentle watering can. When 5cm tall I trans-plant them in to another bed. You could also use this method in flat seed raising trays and a spray bottle. By using sugar cane mulch in the ground surrounding the plants (not touching their stems!) I keep them moist. I also water every to every second day as the weather cools down. My suggestions would be scatter lightly oven baked ground eggshells or hair clippings around the plants to deter snails. if they become a problem. Grow with sweet peas and rocket for great salads. The peas will add nitrogen that the leafy greens will enjoy. Choose a loose head variety so you can pick it as it grows and get multiple harvests the size you want. also better suited to Australia. If you want to try planting lettuce now some tips to stop it bolting are to give it PLENTY of shade, keep harvesting it regularly, (about every second day once it gets going) keep moist (planter boxes might work but could be expensive) and pinch off buds that start to form. In my experience even a resistant variety in a nice shady place with lots of water will go to seed/taste bitter early if planted later than August. But I have seen it done. lettuce is a great to grow easy and rewarding but I would suggest waiting until after Summer. I plant lettuces April on, when you plan depends on your climate conditions. Try companion planting basil and tomatoes together while you wait or growing zucchini plants. If you have a meter square garden bed try planting 16 corn plants, 3 pumpkin or zucchini and once corn is 15 cm high planting a bean seed at the base of each corn plant. Beans are also good for nitrogen that both the corn and beans will need. All of the above I recommend planting now if you are getting the feeling it is already summer. I am not sure if what i have written is relevant to more inland areas of NSW but hope it may be helpful. Good luck with your gardening!

- Ferran

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