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When should lettuce be planted


A Guide to Growing & Harvesting Lettuce

Are you ready to learn how to plant lettuce? This popular salad green is one of the easiest crops to grow in garden beds and containers and is ideal for spring and autumn harvesting. Plus, it’s a speedy crop with baby greens ready to pick around a month from seeding and full heads in two months or less.

In our family, we eat a lot of salads and if you’re buying lettuce at the supermarket, the cost quickly adds up. Growing your own lettuce is an easy way to save on grocery bills and enjoy months of homegrown organic greens. 

Lettuce is a cool season vegetable that thrives in the spring or fall garden.

Types of lettuce

There are many types of lettuce you can plant. I’m a big fan of leaf lettuce because it grows so quickly and you can harvest from each plant for weeks, but there are a lot of varieties available in seed catalogs and on seed racks:

There are many different types of lettuce to grow. I love looseleaf, romaine and butterhead varieties and enjoy all the various leaf colors and textures.

Growing a lettuce garden 

Lettuce is a cool weather crop and is best grown in spring and fall. The seeds germinate in temperatures as low as 40 F (4 C) but its ideal germination and growing temperature is between 60 and 65 F (16 to 18 C). 

To grow great lettuce, find a site that offers at least six to eight hours of direct sun. It is possible to grow lettuce in partial shade (three to four hours of sun), but in low light I would suggest planting looseleaf varieties which grow faster than heading types. Once you’ve picked your spot, prepare the bed for planting by digging in an inch or two of compost or aged manure. If you like, you can also dig in a slow release organic fertilizer at this time.  

Lettuce also makes a fantastic container plant. It produces a shallow root system and can be grown in this cool Vegtrug 8 pocket herb garden, window-boxes, pots, fabric planters, baskets, or any container that is at least four to six inches deep and has drainage holes. 

To get a jump start on the lettuce harvest, I cover my early spring garden beds with fabric or plastic covered mini tunnels. These capture solar energy and protect from cool temperatures and frost.

Lettuce is shallow rooted and can be grown in containers just four to six inches deep.

How to plant lettuce seeds 

There are two ways to plant lettuce seeds: 

  1. Direct sow seeds in the garden or containers.
  2. Transplant lettuce seedlings that were started indoors under grow lights or purchased from a garden centre.

Direct sowing lettuce seeds

When direct seeding heading types of lettuce in rows, space the seeds two inches apart with rows twelve to eighteen inches apart, depending on the variety. Don’t sow the seeds too deeply as they need light to germinate. Cover them with a thin layer of soil. Once the seedlings are growing well, thin to ten to twelve inches.

For a crop of baby lettuce, I like to sow the seeds in bands. You can make narrow bands that are just three to four inches across or wider bands to fit your space. I often sow twelve to eighteen inch wide bands of baby lettuces in my raised beds, trying to space the seeds about two inches apart. You can grow a single variety this way or buy a packet of gourmet mixed lettuces. 

Lettuce can be direct seeded or transplanted into a garden.

Transplanting lettuce

When transplanting lettuce into my garden beds or containers, I typically plant in a grid pattern, spacing each seedling about ten inches apart. This is where you can have a bit of fun if you’re growing multicolored varieties like Salanova Home & Garden Mix. You can stagger the colors to create a checkerboard pattern. 

If transplanting in rows, space seedlings ten to twelve inches apart and rows twelve to eighteen inches apart, depending on the mature size of the variety. Check your seed packet for specific spacing instructions. 

How to plant romaine lettuce

Romaine lettuce is one of the most popular types of lettuce and is very easy to grow. You can grow it as a baby crop and harvest the young leaves for weeks or you can allow the plants to mature to full-sized heads. For the best-tasting romaine lettuce give the plants consistent moisture, plenty of sunlight and cool temperatures. 

Because my garden is a slug haven, I find it helpful to start seeds for romaine lettuce indoors and move the seedlings out to my raised beds a week or two before the last expected spring frost. For full sized heads of romaine lettuce, space them ten inches apart. 

I often use wire mini hoops covered in fabric or plastic to protect my lettuce from frost, bad weather or pests.

Succession planting lettuce

Wondering how to plant lettuce so that you can have a very long season of harvest? The secret is succession planting! Succession planting is simply planting seeds at different times. I like to plant small amounts of lettuce seed at any one time so that we have enough for our family, but not so much that I can’t keep up with the harvest. 

The successive crops come from the additional lettuce seeds I sow every two to three weeks from mid-spring to early summer. Seeding lettuce over the course of spring or autumn results in a non-stop crop of high quality greens.   

How far apart to plant lettuce 

Once your lettuce seedlings are growing well, you can thin them to allow enough room that they mature into good-sized heads. You’ll find specific variety spacing listed on the seed packet, but generally a spacing of ten to twelve inches is best.

For heads of baby lettuce, you can space the plants a bit closer, at six to eight inches. This technique works well for romaine lettuce which then forms compact heads just six to eight inches tall. 

When transplanting lettuce seedlings into my garden beds, I like to space them ten inches apart for full-sized heads. If I’m growing a band of baby greens, I’ll sow the seeds just a few inches apart.

How to grow a lettuce plant 

Now that you know how to plant lettuce, it’s time to learn a few key growing techniques. The key to a high quality crop of tender, mild-tasting lettuce is consistent moisture. If lettuce plants are heat or drought stressed, the leaves turn bitter and the plants will bolt. Bolting is when the plants switch from leaf production to flower production and a flower stalk emerges. Read more about bolting here. 

I live in a northern climate where spring often takes a few steps backwards and temperatures dip below freezing. Keep row covers handy to protect from frost or unexpected cold temperatures. They can be placed directly over the lettuce plants or floated above on hoops. You can also buy handy fleece tunnels online or at garden centres.

If your spring weather turns from warm to hot quicker than expected, keep lengths of shade cloth handy so that you can create a shady spot. It’s easy to make hoops from half inch PVC conduit, metal wire, or other materials. Lay a piece of 40% shadecloth on top of the hoops, securing it with clips. Shadecloth reduces the heat and light around your lettuce plants and can delay bolting by a week or two. 

If you’ve worked organic matter and a slow-release organic fertilizer into the soil before planting, there’s no need to further fertilize your fast-growing lettuce plants. 

When the spring weather turns warm, I often erect a shade cloth tunnel overtop my lettuce bed. This cools and shades the plants, delaying bolting.

Lettuce pests

In my garden, the biggest threats to my lettuce plants are deer and slugs. To deal with deer, check out this excellent article by Jessica. She also wrote this detailed article on slugs. I find diatomaceous earth effective on slugs. Reapply after rain. You can also use chicken wire or willow cloches to keep animals like deer or rabbits away from lettuce. Or, erect a mini hoop tunnel over your bed and cover with bird netting, chicken wire, or an insect barrier fabric.  

Aphids are another common lettuce pest. Aphids are tiny, soft bodied insects that suck the juices from the leaves, causing curling or distortion. Because lettuce grows so quickly, a modest infestation isn’t usually a big problem. I just give the leaves a quick wash before we make a salad. If there are a lot of aphids on your lettuce plants, you can spray with an organic soapy water spray to kill the insects and their eggs. This may require a few applications. 

How to harvest lettuce plants

Once you’ve got a nice crop of lettuce coming along in your garden, how do you know when it’s time to harvest? There are several ways to enjoy your lettuce:

  1. Harvest as a baby green by picking individual young leaves or harvesting the entire immature plant.
  2. Selectively harvest outer leaves from looseleaf or heading varieties as the plants grow.
  3. Harvest the entire head by slicing it off about an inch above the soil.
When harvesting a whole head of lettuce, slice it off just above the soil level.

For more information on growing greens, be sure to check out these awesome articles:

Do you have any more questions about how to plant lettuce? 

A Guide to Planting & Harvesting Lettuce

You might not be surprised to find out that the most widely planted salad vegetable in the United States is lettuce. As the foundation of your salad and your garden, lettuce is an ideal garden vegetable. You can tuck it into small areas, it grows easily and it loves cool weather. These lettuce growing tips will keep your garden and salad bowl full of crisp, green lettuce.

How to Grow Lettuce

Lettuce is an easy-to-grow annual vegetable. Considered a spring and fall crop, lettuce thrives when temperatures are between 60 to 70 degrees F. Many varieties reach maturity in as little as 30 days, and some can even be harvested much earlier as microgreens. From your garden beds to patio containers, these simple steps will give you a bountiful supply of crisp salad greens throughout multiple seasons.

    1. When to Plant Lettuce

Lettuce loves cool weather. You can begin planting leaf, romaine and butterhead lettuce as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. Depending on the variety, lettuce germinates in temperatures between 40 to 85 degrees F. If you plant lettuce in successive plantings, with 10 to 14 days in between, you’ll have an extended harvest. To prevent summer bolt, stop planting one month before warm summer temperatures start. Begin planting fall lettuce in late summer so it reaches maturity when the fall air is cool.

Head lettuce is usually started indoors or in a cold frame and transplanted in the spring after the last frost date. Growing lettuce from seedlings for early spring transplant is a good way to get a head start on the growing season.

    1. Where to Plant Lettuce

The ideal lettuce growing location for spring and fall is in a spot that receives full sun. If you plan on growing lettuce during the summer or in warm planting zones, partial shade can provide protection from the heat. Growing lettuce from seed in late summer may require generous artificial shade to help cool the soil for germination. Once days become cooler, the shade can be removed to give plenty of sunlight to young lettuce plants.

Lettuce grows best in loose, cool soil with good drainage. The addition of organic materials, such as compost or manure, will increase drainage, provide essential nutrients and improve your lettuce growing conditions. If you’ve had trouble with lettuce growth, consider purchasing a soil test kit. Lettuce is sensitive to low pH. The addition of lime can help bring the pH to at least 6. 0.

    1. How to Plant Lettuce

It doesn’t take much work to grow lettuce from seeds. Lettuce seeds are often quite small and only require a planting depth of ¼ to ½ inch deep. Growing lettuce in rows gives your garden a traditional look. Consider alternating rows of green and red lettuce for a whimsical touch.

How far apart to plant lettuce depends on the type of lettuce you’re planting. When sowing seeds directly into the soil, you should plant approximately 10 seeds per foot. Space your rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Thin leaf lettuce seedlings to 4 inches apart. Romaine and butterhead lettuce seedlings require 6 to 8 inches between each plant. Removed seedlings can be transplanted or eaten as delicious, tender microgreens.

Head lettuce is usually grown from seeds started indoors during warm weather for a fall garden. Transplant head lettuce in rows 12 to 18 inches apart with 10 to 12 inches between each plant.

    1. Water Requirements for Lettuce

You don’t need lettuce to develop deep roots. In fact, you want to encourage leaf growth over rooting. Lettuce watering should be light, frequent and consistent. The goal is to simply keep the soil moist. Avoid watering too often – overwatering leads to root rot, disease and stunted growth.

    1. Protecting Against Disease and Pests

Aphids can easily destroy a lettuce patch. Leaves curl and wilt as nutrients and water are sucked away. Aphids also spread disease and create mold issues. You’ll find these annoying little white pests hiding on the undersides of lettuce leaves. There isn’t a systemic insecticide to control aphids, so your best option is to encourage natural predators, such as lady beetles, or to apply a horticultural soap or neem oil.

Snails, slugs and caterpillars also love lettuce. Insecticides are one option, but traps, organic bait and hand picking provide organic solutions to these common pests.

If you notice your lettuce beginning to brown and curl, it could be suffering from a physiological condition known as tipburn. Tipburn is often seen on lettuce when moisture is not consistent. Simply trim the browned lettuce and begin a consistent watering schedule.

How to Harvest Lettuce

You don’t have to worry about how to pick lettuce – it’s one of the simplest vegetables to harvest. Most lettuce can be harvested between 30 to 70 days after planting. When to harvest lettuce depends on the variety and what it will be used for. Really, timing is based on individual preference. Once your lettuce reaches the size you want, it’s ready! Harvesting lettuce in the morning gives you the best flavor.

Knowing how to harvest leaf lettuce is easy. You can either cut the entire bundle off at ground level, or you can remove just a few leaves at a time. Romaine, butterhead and head lettuce are easily cut off near ground level. If you harvest every other lettuce plant, you give the remaining plants room to continue growing.

Growing Different Types of Lettuce

There are four popular types of lettuce grown in the United States: romaine, butterhead, head and loose-leaf lettuce. Although the growing and care process is similar for all types, each lettuce has distinct characteristics in the garden.

Growing Green and Red Leaf Lettuce

Leaf lettuce varieties are the easiest lettuces to grow. Although many people assume red leaf lettuce is grown differently, growing red leaf lettuce is exactly the same as growing green lettuce. You can grow leaf lettuce in rows for nice bundles of loose leaf lettuce, or you can sow it thickly in a garden bed or container for harvest as young, tender lettuce. By harvesting leaf lettuce through trimming it a few inches above the soil, you can get two to three harvests from one planting. Popular cultivars include Red Sails, Tango and Slobolt.

Growing Romaine Lettuce

Romaine, also known as cos, forms tall, tight bundles of thick, sweet lettuce leaves. Reaching up to 20 inches tall, most romaine lettuces take 60 to 80 days to harvest. The extended growing season works because romaine is able to grow without bolting in the warm summers. Growing red romaine lettuce requires the same garden techniques as growing green varieties. Green Towers, Valley Heart and Red Eyes Cos are all interesting romaine cultivars.

Growing Head Lettuce

Crisphead lettuce, or head for short, is the lettuce we know as Iceberg. One of the most popular types of lettuce, salad lovers all over the country often wonder how to grow Iceberg lettuce. Growing Iceberg lettuce requires a bit more care than other varieties. For the best results, plant head lettuce in your fall garden. By avoiding the warm summer weather, you produce sweeter lettuce. In addition to Iceberg, Ithaca, Great Lakes and Crispivo are great head lettuce cultivars.

Growing Butterhead Lettuce

Butterhead lettuce varieties produce tightly folded heads of tender lettuce leaves. The middle leaves are often self-blanching to a delicate white color. Named after the subtle butter flavor, this mild lettuce adds a sweet touch to salads. Try Ermosa, Esmeralda or Nancy in your lettuce garden.

Common Questions About Growing Lettuce

How Long Does It Take Lettuce to Grow?

Lettuce grows fairly quickly. Leaf varieties reach maturity in 30 days but can be harvested as soon as they reach the desired size. Other types of lettuce require 6 to 8 weeks to reach full harvest size.

Can you grow lettuce year ’round?

Garden zones with minimum temperatures in the 60s can grow lettuce all year round. Lettuce seeds germinate in temperatures between 40 to 80 degrees F, depending on the cultivar. Active growth takes place when days are between 60 to 70 degrees. Warmer zones can grow lettuce throughout the winter if you stick to planting lettuce in the fall. Other areas can use modifications, such as cold frames, row covers and greenhouses to extend the growing season.

Can you grow lettuce in hot weather?

Lettuce does not like hot weather. The plant panics and decides that it better produce seeds as quickly as possible. Seed stems develop, and the plant begins diverting nutrients to seed production. This process, known as bolting, produces bitter lettuce.

To reduce lettuce bolting, first look for bolt-resistant lettuce cultivars. Slobolt, for example, can be grown in warmer temperatures. Other gardening tricks to prevent bolting in warm weather include planting lettuce in shady areas, using mulch to cool the ground and conserve moisture, and providing a light mist of overhead irrigation to cool plants.

How to grow leaf lettuce on a windowsill and garden bed

May 13 Likbez Tips

Follow the instructions and you will no longer have to buy greens in stores.

Where you can grow lettuce

Leaf lettuce thrives in garden beds. In open ground, you can plant both seeds and seedlings grown at home or bought in a store.

If you don't have a dacha or your own plot near the house, lettuce will perfectly fit in a container on the windowsill. You can grow greens from seeds or try rooting a bunch in a pot from the vegetable section.

How to grow lettuce from seed outdoors

The easiest option is to plant leaf lettuce seeds directly in the ground. So you do not have to mess with seedlings, and the result will be no worse, although a little later. It will be possible to harvest in 25-35 days.

It is better to choose a sunny place, without shading. Well, if last year legumes, tomatoes, cucumbers or potatoes grew there. Thanks to crop rotation - the so-called alternation of plants - the risk of damage by pests and diseases will decrease, the harvest will be better. But sowing lettuce in the same bed for two years in a row is not worth it.

When to plant lettuce outdoors

Early varieties can be planted as early as April-May, while mid-season and late varieties can be planted from April to mid-June. When planting early, the main thing is to wait until the ground warms up enough and warm weather sets in without frost.

Lettuce can be re-sown periodically, removing old plants by the roots. So you can get a crop all summer.

How to grow lettuce outdoors

Dig up the soil 1-2 days before you sow the seeds. Make parallel grooves about a centimeter deep or slightly less at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other.

Sow the seeds at about 5 cm intervals, lightly cover with soil and water. If it is cool outside, the beds can be covered with a film until shoots appear.

When the greenery shows through, it can be thinned out if the planting is too dense.

Too dense plantings can be thinned out to give the plants enough room to grow and develop / Photo: tanitost / Shutterstock

How to care for lettuce

Weeding, watering and loosening are the main points in care. On hot spring and summer days, you need to moisten the beds with lettuce every 1-2 days. In cloudy, rainy and cool weather, the intervals can be increased. The main thing is not to let the soil dry out completely. It is better to water in the morning or in the evening, and not during the most sunny hours. Moreover, it is desirable to use a watering can so that moisture gets on the leaves of the plant. After watering, gently loosen the topsoil.

Feeding and special fertilizers can be dispensed with during growth. It is enough to bring mullein or bird droppings into the ground in the fall, and start planting in the spring. Don't worry if you don't have time to prepare in advance. In fertile and not depleted soil, lettuce will feel good anyway.

Remove weeds as soon as they appear so that they do not interfere with the normal growth and development of plants.

How to grow lettuce from seedlings outdoors

Growing lettuce seedlings makes sense if you want to get the first harvest as soon as possible. Small plants planted in open ground will grow leaves quite quickly, and it will be possible to start collecting them in one and a half to two weeks.

When to plant lettuce seedlings

The best time to plant seedlings is March or early April. If you missed the deadline, do not worry: you can buy young plants for planting in the ground even at the beginning of summer.

How to grow lettuce seedlings

It is better to plant lettuce seedlings in peat pots or separate cups - one seed in each. So it will be easier for you to move the plant to a permanent place without damaging it.

Planting lettuce seeds in separate cassettes or pots makes it easier to transplant them without damaging the roots / Photo: Alexander Raths / Shutterstock

If you want to plant lettuce in a common box or container, make grooves in the soil 1 cm deep and at a distance of about 5 cm from each other. Sow the seeds at a distance of about 10 cm. A denser planting will have to be thinned out over time.

Cover the sown seeds with a thin layer of soil and moisten with a spray bottle. Cover with foil and leave for a few days until shoots appear. Do not forget to remove the film every day and air it for at least half an hour, and when the sprouts are visible, remove the cover.

Soil suitable for universal or special seedlings. Feeds are not needed.

When to transplant lettuce outdoors

After about 3 weeks or less, when the plants are strong enough, they can be planted in a greenhouse or outdoors. At the same time, you need to wait until the earth warms up enough, and the threat of frost recedes.

How to care for lettuce

Caring for lettuce planted outdoors as seedlings is no different from caring for lettuce sown directly in the beds. Depending on the weather, plants should be watered from a watering can in the morning or evening every 1-2 days or less. Also, do not forget to loosen the soil and remove weeds.

How to grow lettuce from seeds on a windowsill

Leaf lettuce is a great option for an apartment garden. It is very easy to take care of, and you can harvest the first harvest in about 25 days. It is worth paying attention to early-ripening varieties that feel fine in low light.

No special conditions are needed, although some points are better to take into account. Ideally, if the windows face east or west and are not too shaded by trees. It will be too hot on southern plants, and there will be little light on northern ones.

In autumn and winter, when daylight hours are short, special lamps will have to be used. Without them, the plants will be frail and will not please with abundant greenery.

In late spring, summer and warm autumn, lettuce will feel great on a balcony or loggia / Photo: Ashley‑Belle Burns / Shutterstock

Room temperature is fine. But keep in mind that with constant strong heat, the lettuce will quickly release arrows and begin to bloom, and the leaves will be bitter.

For planting, you can take ordinary pots or larger containers, always with drainage holes and trays. The soil is suitable for store, universal or special for vegetable crops. In addition to it, drainage is needed. It can be expanded clay, broken bricks, small shards of raw clay pots, pebbles, gravel and even foam.

When to plant lettuce on the windowsill

There are no strict time limits when growing indoors. Seeds can be sown at any time of the year.

How to plant lettuce seeds

Place a layer of drainage on the bottom of the container. Spread the soil on top, retreating from the edge of about 0.5 cm. Slightly moisten the ground with a spray bottle, but do not create a swamp.

Sow the seeds not too thick and cover with a layer of soil no thicker than 5 mm. If you do not want to thin out crops, place the seeds in the ground at a distance of at least 5 cm.

Cover the container with film or glass and leave in a warm, shady place.

How to care for lettuce on the windowsill

Air the plantings every day for at least half an hour before germination to prevent mold.

After 4-5 days, when the first shoots emerge from the soil, remove the film or glass. Rearrange the container with plants on the windowsill or loggia. After a week, thin out your plantings so that the distance between plants is approximately 1.5–2 cm. When 2–3 true leaves appear, repeat the procedure again. This time, leave a distance of about 5 cm. You can plant the plants that you have to pull out in a separate bowl.

Rotate the container of lettuce every few days. So it will develop evenly and will not turn out to be one-sided due to the fact that one side will be constantly in the sun, and the other will not.

Don't forget to water. It is needed on average every other day, although it all depends on the conditions. For example, in a warm room or on the southern windowsills on hot days, the earth will dry faster. Therefore, do not leave the salad unattended. At first, while the plants are very small and fragile, it is advisable to combine watering with spraying. Although after, especially in rooms with dry air, this procedure will benefit. In any case, it is better to use water at room temperature or a little warmer, always separated.

Top dressing is not needed if you immediately take high-quality store soil.

How to grow lettuce from a grocery store on a windowsill

The vegetable department often sells lettuce in pots. Due to the fact that plants have a root system, they stay fresh longer and store better. And after cutting the greenery, the plants can be planted and re-harvested from them.

Another crop can be harvested from store-bought lettuce in a pot / Photo: ArtSvetlana / Shutterstock

When to plant a lettuce in a pot

You can give a plant a second life at any time of the year, the main thing is to create the right conditions.

How to plant lettuce in a pot

Cut off all lettuce leaves 1-2 cm from the ground. Carefully separate the pot. It is quite thin and brittle, so it can be cut with a sharp knife or scissors.

Place the roots in a bowl of settled water at room temperature.

When the new leaves are 4-5 cm long, plant the lettuce in a pot or container with an all purpose store soil.

How to care for lettuce in a pot

No problem. Just water the salad about every other day and spray frequently. No need to feed. This is enough to harvest another new crop.

Read also 🧐

When and how to plant lettuce outdoors, experience

Growing lettuce on a garden plot is quite easy and fast, but it also has its own tricks, knowing which you can get early tasty tender greens. I plant seeds immediately in open ground. Of course, the taste of any vegetable or garden greens depends on the variety. From different varieties of lettuce, I now prefer to grow the Odessa kucheryavets variety. This is an old, trouble-free variety of lettuce. I see many advantages in it for myself: medium-early, has a long shelf life, is resistant to stemming, semi-headed, with delicate fragrant greens without bitterness. There are a lot of tasty juicy leaves in a half-headed lettuce. The period from germination to the beginning of fruiting is 45-50 days.

When to sow lettuces in the garden

How to plant

How to get your own lettuce seeds

What can be cooked from lettuce leaves

By the way, by buying seeds once, you can grow a crop and leave a few plants for forcing seeds, then you won’t have to do more buy seeds, unless of a new variety.

When to sow lettuces in the garden

Almost all varieties of lettuce are cold-resistant crops, they can be planted in early spring. I plant seeds in open ground in late March-early April. And in the first half of May, and sometimes even earlier, I already pick green juicy leaves.

In an area where the summer is cool, it can be grown all year round, but in our climate this does not work - the summer is too hot in the Kuban. I tried to plant for a second crop at the beginning of summer and at the end of summer, nothing good came of it. The leaves grew small, bitter, tasteless, and in the last lean summer (2020) and in general the second sowing failed.

Based on my own experience, I came to the conclusion that hot weather greatly affects the taste of lettuce leaves. They quickly become coarse and become bitter, the plant throws out flower stalks (arrows). To obtain seeds, this salad with flower arrows is necessary, but it is not very suitable for the table, so planting dates (early spring and autumn) must be taken into account.

In previous years, I planted lettuce not only in early spring, but also in autumn (for the Kuban, this is the second half of October), when the temperature is optimal for it, and I got two crops a year.

When sowing in early spring, sometimes I plant lettuce on those beds, where I will plant seedlings of cucumbers later. By the first half of May, the lettuce ripens, and the place where it was planted is freed up for cucumbers.

At the end of September-beginning of October, I sow lettuce seeds in the ground, where onions and garlic have already been harvested. And in a month and a half or earlier I already harvest from it, but if the weather is warm in autumn, you can plant it also at the end of October - this will be the third harvest of the season.

How to plant

The optimum temperature for growing lettuce is 15-20°C. To make the salad not only tasty, but also healthy, I do not apply any fertilizers under it, I just loosen the soil. I sow the seeds in furrows located at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other. I deepen the seeds into the soil to a depth of 1.5-2 cm and cover them with a layer of soil, compact the soil and then mulch with mowed grass. After that, I water and wait for shoots.

How to get your own lettuce seeds

It couldn't be easier... In a garden planted in early spring, I leave a couple of plants to seed. These plants throw out a flower arrow and at the end of summer I collect seeds from them for the next season. There are a lot of seeds, much more than what is in the bag that we buy. It doesn't last for one season.

What can be cooked with lettuce leaves

Lettuce leaves can be simply chewed fresh, they can be added to other vegetables and are very good to use in sandwiches. I love lettuce, its leaves for their fresh taste, crunch and, of course, for curly hair…

As for me, I often cook two salads with the addition of lettuce leaves of Kucheryavets Odessa. One dish I have consists of radishes and half-headed lettuce. I fill it with vegetable oil.

The second course is boiled chicken, lettuce, green onions and mayonnaise. You will say that chicken without lettuce leaves is delicious on its own, but the fact of the matter is that it is this green that gives it a special sophistication and piquancy.

Salad loves vegetable oil. This is the best dressing for the delicate leaves of this plant. To soften the sharp taste of some varieties of lettuce, you can still use a mixture of vegetable oil and honey in any combination. It is good to season such a salad with a little pepper or other spices and spices.

Lettuce leaves are good in combination with fresh herbs and nuts. It can be dill, basil, parsley, mint, chopped walnuts or hazelnuts.

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