Heirloom Organics makes gardening easy. Lettuce grows best in full sun, though excessive heat can cause plants to bolt to seed, or leaves to wilt. For an early start, seeds can be started in flats 4 weeks prior to the last frost and transplanted outdoors in mid to late spring. If growing in summer, select a partially shaded location, or one that receives primarily eastward exposure to mitigate the potentially damaging effects of excessive heat upon lettuce.
Lettuce is tolerant of a wide range of soils, but prefers well-drained, cool, loose soil with plentiful moisture and pH 6. Sensitive to low pH. Lime to at least 6. To encourage tender and tasty growth, make sure location is rich in organic compost matter.
Amend prior to planting if needed. Sowing Direct seed or transplant in early spring, as soon as you can work the soil. To get an early start, prepare beds the previous fall by working in manure or compost and raking smooth to leave a fine seedbed.
Seeds need light to germinate; sow at a very shallow depth by covering with a thin layer of growing medium. When plants have two or three true leaves, thin to inch spacings for crisphead varieties, 6 to 10 inches for other types. You can also lightly broadcast seed particularly of looseleaf varieties in a patch instead of a row.
Sow in 1-inch cells 3 to 4 weeks before transplanting outside. Harden seedlings by reducing water and temperature for 3 days before transplanting.
Hardened plants should survive 20 F. Space crisphead transplants 12 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart. Space other varieties 6 to 10 inches apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Use row covers to protect very early plantings from cold, to protect young plants from insects, and supported by hoops to shade crops when warm weather arrives. Make succession plantings every week or two, and grow several varieties with different maturity dates for a continuous supply.
Moisture, stress, and high temperatures, particularly at night, encourage bolting. As the season progresses, plant more bolt-resistant varieties. Locate plants where they will be partially shaded by taller nearby plants, latticework or other screen. Lettuce has a shallow root system. Keep soil moist to keep plants growing continuously. Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds unless slugs are a problem. Fertilizing can be helpful to promote faster growth, especially a fish emulsion type that is not high in nitrogen that can cause greens to become bitter.
Water lightly but consistently. For fall crops, time maturity around time of first expected frost. Mature plants aren't as tolerant of freezing as seedlings. Heirloom seeds are the gardeners choice for seed-saving from year-to-year. Learning to save seeds is easy and fun with these books.
Before you harvest, consider which varieties you might want to save seeds from so that your harvesting practice includes plants chosen for seed saving. Be sure to check out our newest seed packs, available now from Heirloom Organics. The Super Food Garden is the most nutrient dense garden you can build and everything you need is right here in one pack. The Genesis Garden s a very popular Bible Garden collection. See all of our brand-new seed pack offerings in our store.
Seed Resources. Organic Romaine Lettuce. Heirloom Romaine Lettuce. Organic Seeds. Organic Vegetable Seeds. Organic Herb Seeds. Organic Sprouting Seeds. Heirloom Seeds. Heirloom Vegetable Seeds. Heirloom Herb Seeds. Seed Catalogs. Heirloom Organic. Harvesting Guide.
Many varieties of lettuce can be harvested as microgreens, baby greens, leaves, or entire plant. Ideally, greens should be collected early in the day, before the onset of midday sun, to prevent wilting. As the plant bolts, you can still harvest the leaves until they become too bitter.
Skip to main content. You are here Gardening » Growing Guides. Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Lettuce. By The Editors. When to Plant Lettuce Direct sowing in the garden is recommended as soon as the ground can be worked. If you want an earlier crop, however, you can start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost date. Some lettuce seedlings will even tolerate a light frost. Seedlings will typically emerge in 7 to 10 days. Nursery-bought transplants should be planted close to your last frost-free date.
Transplants that were started indoors may be planted 2 to 3 weeks earlier after they are properly hardened off. After your initial planting, sow additional seeds every 2 weeks in order to have a continuous supply of lettuce. See our Planting Calendar for planting dates. Tip: To plant a fall crop, create cool soil in late August by moistening the ground and covering it with a bale of straw. Sow a three-foot row of lettuce seeds every couple of weeks—just rotate the straw bale around the garden.
Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site Select a sunny spot for the best growth. Ideally, the plants should get at least 6 hours of sun per day, though lettuce will still grow if given less than that.
To keep the soil fertile, work in composted organic matter about one week before you seed or transplant. Since the seed is so small, a well-tilled seedbed is essential.
Stones and large clods of dirt will inhibit germination. Lettuce does not compete well with weeds. Spacing lettuce close together will help to control weeds. Rotating locations from year to year helps to reduce the occurrence of most diseases.
Read more about preparing soil for planting. Seedlings can be thinned when they have 3 to 4 true leaves. Transplants should have 4 to 6 mature leaves and a well-developed root system before being planting into the garden. For either seeded or transplanted lettuce, leave 12 to 15 inches between each planting row.
Here are guidelines for different lettuce types: Loose-leaf lettuce: Plant or thin to 4 inches apart. Romaine cos and butterhead loose-head, Bibb, Boston lettuce: Plant or thin to 8 inches apart. Crisphead iceberg lettuce: Plant or thin to 16 inches apart. Water thoroughly at time of transplanting. Consider planting rows of chives or garlic between your lettuce to control aphids.
Check out this video to learn how to plant lettuce. How to Care for Lettuce Fertilize 3 weeks after transplanting. Lettuce prefers soil that is high in organic material, with plenty of compost and a steady supply of nitrogen to keep if growing fast. Use organic alfalfa meal or a slow-release fertilizer. Make sure the soil remains moist but not overly wet.
It should drain well. Lettuce will tell you when it needs water. Just look at it! Using row covers can also help to keep lettuce from drying out in the sun.
An organic mulch will help conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and keep soil temperatures cool throughout the warmer months. When a lettuce plant bolts, it starts to produce a central stem and seed stalk, and leaves take on a bitter flavor. To delay bolting, cover plants with a shade cloth so that they get filtered light. Be sure to maintain watering throughout the warmest parts of the growing season, too. Planning your garden so that lettuce will be in the shade of taller plants, such as tomatoes or sweet corn , may reduce bolting in the heat of the summer.
How to Harvest Lettuce Lettuce should be harvested when full size, but just before maturity. Before maturity, you can harvest leaf lettuce by simply removing outer leaves so that the center leaves can continue to grow. Butterhead, romaine, and loose-leaf types can be harvested by removing the outer leaves, digging up the whole plant, or cutting the plant about an inch above the soil surface. A second harvest is often possible when using the first or third methods.
Crisphead lettuce is picked when the center is firm. Mature lettuce gets bitter and woody and will go bad quickly, so check your garden everyday for ready-to-harvest leaves. As time passes and the plant loses vigor, you may be better off planting a second round of seeds than waiting for new leaves. Keep lettuce in the refrigerator for up to 10 days in a loose plastic bag. Lettuce leaves have wilted?
Put the leaves in a bowl of cold water with ice cubes and soak for about 15 minutes. Did you know that lettuce and sunflowers are relatives? Embrace your leafy greens! Learn more about the health benefits of going green and how to grow other salad greens in your garden! Vegetable Gardener's Handbook. We have terrible heat in South Africa at the moment and our vegetables are really suffering. I have netting over my small garden but everything are battling, tomatoes and green pepper are doing well, but the Broccoli and green beans are really suffering also the lettuce.
I have cut them down and got a small crop. The heat is 44dgr plus some days. The biggest problem is the air and the hot winds. No sign of good rain,we are in a terrible drought in South Africa. Excellent advice. I love harvesting a little bit of lettuce every night, just enough for my meal. How can I grow Romaine lettuce to look like commercial grown Romaine? My plants always produce tiny leaves on a tall stem. Your email address will not be published.
Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Our gardening obsessed editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. Although heat-tolerant, Romaine grows best in cooler climates and prefers moisture-rich soil.
While Romaine is slowest to bolt, unseasonal hot weather spells will cause it to bolt too. So, here are a few ideas to help you prevent bolting : Grow bolt-resistant lettuce cultivars.
Opt for the mini Romaine lettuce varieties. Planting mini-Romaines is a great way to avoid bolting. They will mature before the heat becomes too much. Place your plants in partial shade. Limiting sun exposure to Romaine lettuce plants will result in tastier, more leafy crops. Replant your leaf lettuce. Many gardeners resort to a radical approach. They dig up their plants and replant them.
As a result, the plant experiences a shock and stops bolting. The mature plant can reach up to 20 inches tall. How to Plant Romaine Lettuce Romaine grows well in nearly all types of gardens if given enough sunlight and good soil.
You can plant them in: The garden soil outdoors Pots or other containers Traditional or raised beds Indoor or outdoor vertical gardens The hydroponic soil-free units Growing Romaine lettuce vertically Growing Romaine lettuce from seed Growing Romaine lettuce hydroponically Growing Romaine lettuce in the garden.
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