How to Grow Lettuce

January 4, 2025 Susan

Did you know that it’s super easy to grow lettuce? The seeds are inexpensive which means you can grow a head of lettuce for just a few pennies. And they’re so much fresher than what you find in grocery stores.

Latin Name: Lactuca sativa
Plant Family: Sunflower (Asteraceae)
Cool-season crop

Did You Know?

Doesn’t it seem crazy that lettuce is a member of the sunflower family (Asteraceae)? Its Latin genus (Lactuca) refers to the milky sap seen when the leaves or stems are snapped. Lettuce originated in the Middle East, was cultivated in Egypt where they taught Greeks how to grow lettuce. Romans later brought lettuce to Western Europe and it soon spread in popularity around the world.

Plant Seeds or Seedlings? Sow seeds directly in the garden or start them indoors about 3 weeks prior to transplanting them into the garden.

When: In early spring as soon as the ground can be worked.

Days to Germination: 7 to 14 days

Depth to Sow: 1/4 inch

Spacing: 2 inches apart. Gradually thin seedlings to 12 inches apart. Proper spacing is important to make it more difficult for slugs to go from one plant to the next. Space rows 10 to 12 inches apart.

Days to Maturity: 40 to 65

How About Super Early Lettuce?

I also start lettuce seeds indoors in late January and transplant them out into the garden in mid-March. How can I get away with this in our zone 5b/6a climate? I cover the plantings with clear plastic Row Cloches to keep them warm enough, which gives us some early harvests! The Cool Weather Row Cloches are in my Amazon store under the “Gardener’s Must-Haves” category.* You can learn more about this by watching the video “Starting Veggies Early” at the bottom of this post.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. However, that will not impact the price you pay in the least.

Cultural Information:

The most difficult part when you grow lettuce is choosing from the different types: butterhead, crisphead, looseleaf and Romaine. Then trying to choose from the amazing selection of cultivars available. Plants require regular watering and prefer the cooler temperatures of spring and fall. They will bolt to seed when summer temperatures rise, causing the leaves to turn bitter.

Birds think lettuce leaves are delicious. If they are a problem in your garden, cover the bed with netting to protect the plants.

Susan’s Picks: ‘Bauer’, ‘Buttercrunch’, ‘Flashy Trout Back’, ‘Lolla Rossa’, ‘Outredgeous’, ‘Red Sails’, ‘Rouge d’Hiver’

Potential Insect Problems: Slugs

When to Harvest Lettuce:

Pick leaves when they are young and tender, and harvest individual leaves rather than entire plants. Lettuce plants will continue to produce until the weather heats up.

How to Use Salad Greens:

Make wonderful salads by varying the types of lettuces. They also make a nice addition to sandwiches.

My Videos About Growing Lettuce:

Back to Vegetable Grow Guide Chart

Copyright: Susan Mulvihill, Susan’s in the Garden, SusansintheGarden.com.

You can find all sorts of my vegetable gardening videos by going to the playlist on my YouTube channel.