Germination Notes

Lettuce fails to germinate at temperatures above 80 degrees. To grow lettuce during hot weather, start indoors at 70-75 degrees for good germination. Grow indoors 4 weeks or so. Harden off well to outside temperatures before planting out.  In fall or winter, start indoors 3-4 weeks before planting out if temperatures are below 50 degrees. Harden off to outside temperatures. Lettuce bolts faster if exposed to daily temperatures below 50 degrees during the 2 & 3 leaf stage.

Planting lettuce

If you are direct seeding in the garden (not really recommended for head lettuce),
since the seeds are small, plant them 3/8 to 1/2 inch deep, and cover with a fine soil. The spacing varies
with the variety, leave lettuce can be thinned to about 8 inches part, but crisphead needs to be spaced about
12-14 inches apart. Often the seeds are started inside and transplanted. If you do start them inside be sure to
harden them off by exposing them to the outside conditions a few hours a day for several days ahead of
planting, or use a cold frame.

Watering

1/2 to 1 inch a week, but lettuce needs the watering to be consistent.

Lettuce is a favorite in the garden because it is relatively easy to grow, is one of the first crops that can be
planted, and is one of the first crops to yield in the spring. It doesn’t take a lot of room, and because of its
shallow root system does well in containers too.

Tips for growing lettuce

You can plant lettuce 2-4 weeks before the last frost date, and in the fall should be planted about 6 to 8
weeks before the first frost date. Lettuce is somewhat tolerant of frosts, although it will not take extended
freezing temperatures. On the other hand, it will tend to bolt in higher temperatures. Because of this it is
very productive in fall gardens. Also, it doesn’t pay to let it go, lettuce is better picked early than late.
Lettuce will do well with only 5 or more hours of sunlight a day, and in areas where the temperature will get
fairly hot you can take advantage of that by planting on the east side of a building or fence, or putting up a
shade structure.

In general lettuce is a light feeder, so an initial application of fertilizer is probably all that will be needed. A
soil pH of about 6.0 to 7.5 is preferred. If you are planting in a container then try to get a soil depth of at least
6-8 inches.

**For maximum quality & sweetness harvest lettuce between 7-8am when the sugars are the highest.

There are 4 major types of lettuce:

Leaf lettuce – Many varieties, among the most heat tolerant and easiest to grow. The leaves are loosely bunched instead of a tight head, with many types and colors. It not only grows quickly, but the harvest can
be extended by simply cutting a few leaves at a time, cutting a couple of inches above the ground and it will re-grow.
Some examples are Asian Red leaf, Webbs Wonderful, Rossa Di Trento, Lolla Rossa,Black Seeded Simpson, Red Sails
and Oak Leaf Lettuce.

Butterhead Lettuce – The leaves form small, open heads, and get their name from the buttery center of the head. The smallest of the lettuces, it still is not a tightly bunched head.

Romain – Sometimes referred to as Cos, these are very colorful, and form upright clusters of leaves.

Crisphead – This is your traditional head lettuce. This one is harvest once and done, there is not a second wave of lettuce. Pick it when the head is firm and solid, and the outside leaves turn a slight yellow green
color. Iceberg is the most common, others are Ithaca and Great Lakes.