How to grow Lettuce & greens
Lactuca sativa
Salad in 30 days — the easiest win.
Lettuce loves the cool weather of spring and fall. Sow a short row every two weeks for nonstop salad, and give it afternoon shade once summer heat arrives so it doesn't bolt.
Grow Lettuce & greens with step-by-step help for your exact yard.
Start free in Seededly →Lettuce & greens at a glance
| Sun | Sun / part shade |
|---|---|
| Soil pH | 6.0–7.0 |
| Spacing | 6–10 in |
| Harvest | 30–50 days |
| Plant | Apr & Aug |
| Note | Bolts in heat |
How to grow Lettuce & greens, step by step
Sow little and often
- Direct-sow seed shallowly as soon as soil is workable.
- Sow a new short row every 2 weeks for a steady supply.
Keep it cool & moist
- Even moisture keeps leaves sweet and tender.
- In summer heat, grow in part shade or it turns bitter and bolts.
Cut and come again
- Pick outer leaves and the plant keeps producing.
- Harvest in the cool morning for the crispest leaves.
Lettuce & greens problems & fixes
Lettuce & greens — Plant shoots up and turns bitter: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Bolting from heat. Grow in part shade and pick young; sow heat-tolerant types in summer.
Lettuce & greens — Ragged holes in leaves: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Slugs or caterpillars. Pick them off in the evening; a copper barrier helps with slugs.
Lettuce & greens — Seedlings flop and rot: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Damping-off from wet, crowded sowing. Thin seedlings and let the surface dry between waterings.
Recommended lettuce & greens varieties
- Buttercrunch — Best for beginners. Heat-tolerant butterhead that stays sweet — very forgiving.
- Black-Seeded Simpson — Fast leaf. Ready in a month; cut leaves and it regrows.
- Salad Bowl — Cut-and-come. Loose oak-leaf type for all-season picking.
Lettuce & greens month-by-month
| January | Plan; nothing outdoors. |
|---|---|
| February | Start a few indoors. |
| March | Direct-sow first rows. |
| April | Sow every 2 weeks; first harvests. |
| May | Keep sowing; harvest daily. |
| June | Move sowings to part shade. |
| July | Heat slows it — keep watered. |
| August | Sow fall crops now. |
| September | Prime fall lettuce harvests. |
| October | Last outdoor harvests. |
| November | Cover or move to a cold frame. |
| December | Off-season. |