How to Grow Lettuce: Sowing, Planting & Harvesting Tips for Crisp Leaves

You can selectively harvest outer lettuce leaves before the plant reaches full maturity or as soon as the outer leaves are 2- to 3-inches tall. You can cut or gently break off leaves as needed without harvesting the entire plant. Or, if the plant has reached the desired maturity, the entire plant can be pulled.

It's recommended to harvest greens like lettuce in the early morning, when they have not yet started to transpire from the heat of the sun. They'll be juicier and "fresher" at this time.

Traditionally, it's best to water in the AM and PM, but as noted above, lettuce will tell you when it needs water. Just look at it. If the leaves are wilting, sprinkle them anytime—even in the heat of the day—to cool them off and slow down the transpiration rate. So, not necessarily twice per day.

Have you tried a hose without the spray nozzle: laying it down on the soil near the plants and soaking only the ground that way? (Yes, you would move it as necessary to water all of the plants.) Reduce the water volume so you do not make divets in the soil.

And have you tried row cover? It's not terribly expensive and reusable for years. Covering the plants with it reduces soil evaporation and keeps the plants from frying, wet or dry, in the heat of the day.

Hi, Fran. If the existing soil has lots of rocks, the plants won't be happy. You could till the soil and get rid of as many rocks as possible or cover with weed barrier (or even damp newspaper) and then add garden soil and compost. Weeds find a way, they are sneaky little buggers, so we recommend protecting your plants even if there are no weeds present at the moment. Good luck!

With leafy greens, such as lettuce or spinach, it's important to not let them dry out. Therefore, drip irrigation would be the wiser choice, as it will give you consistently moistened soil. If you live in an area with low humidity and strong sun, you'll want to make sure the leaves of the plants don't dry out as well.

Hi Anthony,

Iceberg lettuce is a variety of cabbage, which needs cool temperatures and plenty of water. It should be grown early in spring or in early fall, and does not do well in the summer heat. Mulch around the base of each cabbage head to retain moisture and keep the roots cool. For more advice, go here: http://www.almanac.com/plant/cabbage">http://www.almanac.com/plant/cabbage. We hope this helps!

With many varieties of lettuce, especially loose-left lettuce, you can keep harvesting from the plant. If the weather stays cool, you can keep harvesting from the plant several times or more.

Lettuce is bolting if it forms a central stalk that eventually rises high above the base leaves. This seed stalk (which has leaves along its stem) will form flowers toward the top and eventually seeds. During this time, the lettuce leaves develop a bitter flavor.

If you harvest some of the young leaves, they're simply more tender. Eat and enjoy!

Leaf lettuce can stop growing when it is preparing to bolt (go to seed). Warm temperatures, over 70F, as well as changing day length, will trigger the plant to spend its energy in forming flower stalks. When this happens, leaves can become bitter. To delay bolting, if your area has been experiencing warm temperatures, you might try putting shade cloth over the plants so that they get filtered light. Try to keep them out of the heat of the sun. Be sure to keep up with the watering (but don't overwater). As the plant bolts, you can still harvest the leaves until they become too bitter.

Leaf lettuce can be harvested continually throughout the growing season until the plant starts to bolt or otherwise expires, as long as you harvest only the outer leaves each time and leave enough inner leaves, and the inner growing center, for the plant to continually make new leaves and make food for itself. Those inner leaves will then mature and become the "outer" leaves, and you can harvest those. (The cut stem base of the harvested leaf will not re-grow into a new leaf.) Heading lettuce, however, is usually just harvested once after the head matures.

See the "Planting" section above which provides the information about planting lettuce seeds.

If you're seeding lettuce, water the seeds once or twice a day to keep them moist. Use a mister nozzle on the water hose to prevent blasting the seeds away.

Lettuce has a shallow root system. Once it grows, just keep the soil moist to keep plants growing continuously. How often you water depends on how dry your climate is. Frequent light watering causes the leaves to develop rapidly, resulting in high-quality lettuce. 

Overwatering, especially in heavy soils, can lead to disease or soft growth.

Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds (unless slugs are a problem). Organic mulches can help moderate soil temperature and the microenvironment to produce quality lettuce in less than ideal weather conditions.

Most of your questions/curiosity can be resolved above. Did you start with seeds? Perhaps you should have started these indoors... If you started with seeds outdoors, a number of things could have happened: birds ate them; the seeds were not consistently wet and/or warm enough; or they were too wet; or the soild was too heavy. The resulting crop should resemble the image on the seed packet, if you used seeds, or on the plant stick, if you bought seedlings. You can also do an internet search to find an image. When you pick the leaves, you should probably wash/rinse them to eliminate any soil bits. (Do not use soap. Water alone is adequate.) Then you eat them, yes. There is still a lot of summer left. Review the advice above, too, and consider trying lettuce again...

Before I bought a home with lots of land to play, I lived in a condo....I had a small patio and an upstairs balcony....The condo had one good feature- lots of sun exposure. So, I decided to container garden. YouTube has some great videos on how to make towers and stacked growing areas for small spaces and patios... I started with a tomato plant, leeks(onion), spinach, lettuce, carrots, bell pepper and other peppers...all in pots like flowers......Eventually, I grew potatoes, sweet potato, English peas and cucumber......Just remember to fertilize regularly and don't flood water the plant...just water nicely every few days.....Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to growing it. LOL My cucumber vine had to be wrapped around my patio and supported with twine to hold it up...but, it flourished!!!! Make a goal...say to grow the ingredients to make salsa or homemade marinara for spaghetti. Good luck and happy growing!!!!

This will depend on temperature, time of year, the hydroponic system, and variety of lettuce (such as Bibb vs. iceberg), but ranges from about 20 to 80 days.

Lettuce would prefer 5 to 6 hours of sun but not a lot of heat so it's a cool season crop (temperatures below 85 degrees F). However, you can get by with partial partial sunlight or shade. Plant a few seeds; they grow in a few weeks and see how it goes.

It will depend on the exact weed killer used as to how long you need to wait. Some are designated "safe" for vegetable gardens, or for certain vegetables, while others are not. If you can, ask your neighbor what s/he used and then call the manufacturer for best advice.

Did you notice the damage in the morning (i.e. It was fine the night before)? In that case, it sounds like you could have a snail problem; they come out/feed at night and can decimate a garden. Get a snail killer or for a more natural method in a raised bed you could consider smearing magnesium, I think it is, around the exterior of the container? I believe it burns snails.

Hi, Heather: Thanks for your question, and special thanks to Sara J for jumping in here, too! This could be any number of things, including caterpillars, 4-legged critters, or even birds, but slugs are likely suspects, as Sara says. The first thing to to do is set your alarm and go out a couple times at night to see what you can see. Try putting some temporary screening over them to eliminate the possibility of munching from the outside. Then, if necessary, to go after slugs you can try a variety of soil sprinklings, including diatomaceous earth, garlic, salt, hot pepper flakes, or coffee grounds (but not too much). We use beer for slugs. Set a jar lid in the soil such that its top is at soil level. Slugs will fall in and drown. Remember to refill after rain (or craft a little mini umbrella). Screening is best for this, too, because humans and slugs aren't the only lovers of beer. Thanks again!

Usually, lettuce leaves taste bitter when the temperature gets too high (90s). Lettuce is a cool-season vegetable.

I've found that if my lettuce has gotten bitter and strong white 'sap' exudes from the cut stems,soaking it for 1/2hour in cold water will make it very palatable

Heading-type lettuce will not form a head if it gets too hot, over 70 or 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and warm nights. They like cool weather--around 45 to 65 degrees F. In heat, the plants will likely bolt (go to seed); it could be that the plants have stopped growing because they are preparing to bolt. To delay bolting, if your area has been experiencing warm temperatures, you might try putting shade cloth over the plants so that they get filtered light. Try to keep them out of the heat of the sun. Be sure to keep up with the watering (but don't overwater). Next year, (if you haven't this year) you might try starting the plants early indoors, so that they can finish maturing outside before hot weather sets in. Look for heat-resistant varieties. Plant in areas that get afternoon shade, or consider planting in late summer/early fall (when temperatures cool) for a fall harvest.

Heading lettuce also might not form a head if the plants are too crowded. Iceberg should be about 16 inches apart.

Container gardening is so popular right now. We are so glad you are going to give it a try. Here is more advice from The Old Farmer's Almanac:

http://www.almanac.com/content/container-gardening-vegeta...

http://www.almanac.com/video/using-containers-your-garden

Hi Lady J,

We suspect that you may have sown a variety of iceberg lettuce that turns red. See link below for a photo.

www.seedsavers.org/onlinestore/lettuce/Lettuce-Red-Iceber...

My Gourmet salad mix lettuce has gone to seed. How do I harvest the seeds to replant? Green, Mixed Green/Purple and Purple leaf lettuce. What part do I keep?

Although splitting tomatoes can sometimes be caused by fluctuating temperatures, they are more often caused by uneven watering (including drought/heavy rain), especially during the late stages of ripening. Some varieties are more susceptible than others. Try to be consistent in your watering and water deeply; adjust during dry periods and with heavy rain. Provide mulch to conserve moisture. If you had a dry spell and heavy rain is predicted, you might harvest your almost-mature tomatoes to catch them before they split; they'll complete their ripening on a windowsill. Harvest split tomatoes as soon as possible; those left on the vine may be subject to insects and diseases.

As for the lettuce, it sounds like they might have been attacked by slugs or snails. These pests come out at night to chew vegetation, leaving slime trails and large ragged holes in leaves. Remove any mulch around your plants where these pests like to hide. Pour beer in a small plastic container and sink it in the soil near your plants so that about 1/4 inch of the rim is above the soil. The slugs/snails will drown in the beer. You can also place boards around, where the pests will congregate, and you can then dispose of the pests the next day. For more information, see:

http://www.almanac.com/content/slugs

Lettuce is bolting when it starts to form a long flower stalk, usually in the center of the plant. The leaves on the stalk will be smaller and more elongated, and eventually, the stalk will form a flower spike. Leaf flavor becomes bitter. Bolting is caused by increasing day length as well as increasing temperatures.

For Illinois, you might want to stop the succession planting until late summer (about mid August or so), when you can sow for fall crops. If you do want to give summer growing a try, provide filtered shade all day for your plants, or complete shade in the mid afternoon onward, to protect them from the heat. Be diligent about watering.

Sometimes leggy seedlings are caused by too rich a soil (too much nitrogen), or too warm a soil (seedlings like it cooler than seeds). But more often, it is not enough light. If you are using sunlight, choose a south-facing window, and rotate the seedlings every so often so that they do not grow toward the window but keep upright; if the light is still not enough, supplement it with artificial light (fluorescent bulbs or grow-lights). If you are using artificial light, adjust the height of the bulbs so that they are a bit closer to your seedings (the distance will depend on the bulbs you use, but usually they are positioned about 2 to 6 inches above the plants). In general, try to provide about 12 to 16 hours of artificial light.

In addition, you can have an oscillating table fan on the gentlest setting blow air on the seedlings for a few hours each day, which will help them to grow sturdy stems (make sure the air is not too strong for them).

Hi, New2! Official companion plants for lettuce are asparagus, beets, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, strawberries, sunflowers, and tomatoes. Broccoli is a no-no. The trick to keeping bugs off lettuce is to plant something nearby that will attract insect predators, such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps, that will eat bugs such as aphids. Toward that end, think about dill, parsley, marigolds, nasturtiums, and cosmos. You're in your salad days of gardening ... good for you!
 

Yes, cut off those flowering stalks. When lettuce forms a flowering stalk and blooms, it is called bolting. This will make the lettuce more bitter, but you can try to slow it by cutting off the stalks as soon as you see them develop. You might also be able to slow or discourage bolting by partially shading the lettuce from the heat, keeping the soil evenly moist (but not soggy), and harvesting the outer leaves at regular intervals. Bolting happens when the temperatures become warmer and daylight lengthens. As an alternative, when you see signs of bolting, harvest the entire plant before the leaves become bitter.

Hi Dan, Amending the soil with gypsum is not harmful but adding compost or aged manure to the clay soil would be better. If your lettuce is dry and stringy you may need to water more frequently.

the topic must be include from land preparation to harvesting.I went to agronomic and management of lettuce ifyou voletary o ivit me

First, make sure that you have a "heading" variety such as Iceberg or Romaine if you want a head to form.

Some types, such as Bibb lettuce, form a loose head. Iceberg won't head tightly in warmer climates and you should treat it as a leaf lettuce and harvest the leaves as they get large enough to eat. 

Lettuce will head better if it stays cool. In warmer climates, it can be better to grow lettuce in the fall.

it's best to direct sow lettuce seeds in single rows or broadcast for wide row planting. If you broadcast (as the seeds are so tiny), you'll just thin to the right spacing. We like to take a row and just plant a square every 2 or 3 weeks so that we have a continual harvest

Lettuce seeds are so tiny and hard to collect, so we don't usually save this crop. If you wish to try, go for it!
1. Leave a plant or two to produce a
seed stalk.
2. After the plant blooms and the flower
forms a miniature “dandelion head,”
gather the seeds.
3. Separate the seeds from the chaff by
rubbing them with your fingers

Jon, Many thanks for your kind words—and taking the time to share them.  Best, the OFA editors

Logan, I just started 4 types of lettuce seeds and they all came up about the same time 4-5 days. They will fully mature in about 45 days but you can use some as early as 25 days. Hint: to start seeds use a spray bottle and mist the soil with warm water and keep them in a warm and sunny location. Mist them several times a day. Good Luck

Lettuce can withstand light frost (see below), however, it will not survive a freeze and you'll need to harvest.

Lettuce can take a light frost though no more. Cover growing beds with row covers or blankets or throw-cloths supported by stakes or wires. Milk jugs can cover individual plants. Mulching is a good way to protect very small gardens. Use several layers of newspaper, straw or chopped cornstalks.

Check the seed packet or any online seed retailer and it lists the days to maturity for the variety.

Yes, depending on where you live.  Lettuce is a cool-weather crop and is usually grown in spring and fall. Seed in mid-August for good germination and you'll have a fall crop! If it's too hot where you live, the lettuce will flower and turn bitter.

Yes, you can grow lettuce inside year-round, though we'd grow outside when you can. The main requirement is sunlight. Place pots in a bright, sunny south-facing window. In many regions without strong winter sunlight, you'll need to supplement with a combination warm-white/cool-white fluorescent fixture. You'll know if the light is insufficient light because the plants will get leggy and tall.

There are many varieties of lettuce that do not grow into a head. Leaf lettuce is probably the most popular and  you will see individual leaves loosely arranged on the stalk. Stem lettuce would be unusual; it forms an enlarged seedstalk and you might see it in Chinese dishes.

All these veggies will go to seed eventually. Lettuce can need some help for the flowering stalk to emerge. Try using a knife to slit the heads partially open. The seeds will start to ripen though it may take 2 weeks. Your broccoli should throw up a tall flower stalk covered in lots of small yellow flowers. The flowers should form slender seed pods. Once they begin to look dry, cut the plant and remove the seeds from the pods.

Harvest leaves starting at the outside of the plant, leaving the central bud to grow more leaves. Or, if the lettuce is closing to going to seed, just cut the entire plant at the soil line.

Really, you can harvest lettuce any time after true leaves form. It's better to pick lettuce earlier vs. later; it gets that bitter taste if you leave it too long. Grocery store leaves are much bigger. If you harvest the outer leaves first, it lasts longer. Harvest in the morning when leaves are full of moisture.

You can "save" and "exchange" seeds with other gardeners. After the weather gets too warm for lettuce, it will "bolt" and grow a flower on a long stem. The flower will produce seeds which will start to dry up as the lettuce dies. Before they are completely dry, shake them off the stalk onto a piece of paper and let them dry. Lettuce seeds are very small and black. Store in a cool dry environment, in an envelope, or in a small glass jar until next planting season. You can see more about saving seeds on our Web site here: http://www.almanac.com/content/quick-seed-saving-guide-be...

6 inches. Just planted some myself

4 inches apart