When to plant lettuce outside
Lettuce Growing | General Planting & Growing Tips – Bonnie Plants
Read these expert tips on growing lettuce. Save money and grow your own salad greens in your vegetable garden. It is much more simple then you may think!
If you grow only one vegetable other than tomatoes, it should be lettuce. Growing lettuce is so easy, takes up little space, and you can even grow it among flowers. Lettuce grows for many weeks in the mild weather of spring and fall. Leaf lettuce is easy to tuck in between and under taller vegetables, and is perfect for containers. See our online catalog for more about the different types.
Quick Guide to Growing Lettuce
- Plant lettuce during the mild weather of early spring and fall. This nutritious, leafy green is a great option for in-ground gardening, raised garden beds, and containers.
- Space lettuce plants 6 to 18 inches apart (depending on the variety) in an area that gets an abundance of sun and has fertile, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.
0 and 7.0.
- Improve native soil by mixing in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter.
- Well-hydrated lettuce will bear tender leaves, so keep moisture levels consistent by watering whenever the top inch of soil becomes dry.
- Prevent weeds and make your watering efforts last longer by applying a thick layer of mulch made from finely ground leaves or bark.
- Promote excellent leaf production by regularly feeding with a water-soluble plant food.
- Harvest leaf lettuce starting with the outermost leaves once they are large enough to eat.
Soil, Planting, and Care
Although lettuce grows fastest in full sun, it is one of the few vegetables that tolerates some shade. In fact, a spring crop often lasts longer if shaded from the afternoon sun as the season warms. You can grow lots of lettuce in a small space, even a container. Mix it with other taller plants, such as tomatoes in the spring, or grow a mix of different varieties for a living salad bowl.
Give lettuce fertile, well-drained, moist soil with plenty of rich organic matter and a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. To check pH, test the soil with a purchased kit, or get a soil test through your regional Cooperative Extension office. Fertilize and lime according to test recommendations.
If you don't do a soil test, then assume that the soil isn't ideal. Add nitrogen-rich amendments such as blood meal, cottonseed meal, or composted manure, or simply mix in Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil with the top few inches of your native soil. When growing lettuce in pots, give the roots their ideal growing environment by filling the containers with a premium quality potting mix such as Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix. Leaf lettuce needs nitrogen to grow tender, new leaves quickly, so fertilize throughout the growing season with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules.
In the spring, begin setting out lettuce plants about a month before the last frost.
Lettuce grows best within a temperature range from 45 to about 80 degrees. Hot weather makes it bitter; extreme cold freezes it. When well rooted, some Bibb types such as Buttercrunch will tolerate a surprising amount of frost.
Plant fall lettuce beginning about 4 to 8 weeks before the first frost. If you use a cold frame or row cover, gardeners in many areas of the country can grow lettuce through the winter.
Lettuce spacing is not an exact science, but Bonnie varieties tend to do best with spacing between 6 and 18 inches (depending on type, so check the tag). Generally, you should space plants far enough apart so that they can grow to full size. However, many gardeners plant lettuce much closer together, preferring to harvest leaves continuously before they reach full size. The plants adapt to their spacing.
For the most tender, succulent leaves, water regularly during dry weather. Also, mulch to keep the soil cool and moist, and prevent weeds.
Troubleshooting
The most common lettuce pests are aphids.
They love the tender leaves and like to hide on the undersides and down in the crown of the plants.
Harvest and Storage
You can harvest leaf lettuce from the outside of the plant, leaving the central bud to grow more leaves, or you can cut the entire plant at the base. Leaf lettuce is ready to eat at just about any size, and you can pick the baby leaves for tender salads. Romaine lettuce forms its characteristic mid-rib before harvest; at full size it makes an upright leafy clump. Bibb types such as Buttercrunch form a loose head; you can harvest anytime, but for the classic Bibb rosette, wait until the lettuce is nearly full size (6 to 8 inches in diameter) and cut it at the soil line.
The same is true for heading iceberg types; however, in warm climates where head lettuce doesn't make a firm head, you can harvest it like a leaf lettuce, removing leaves as they get large enough to eat.
Lettuce tastes sweetest in cool weather, which is why it is such a great fall crop.
As the weather warms, plants will go to seed. By the time they begin to stretch and send out a seed stalk (called bolting), the leaves are bitter. When this starts to happen, harvest all your lettuce immediately and try storing it in the refrigerator, where some of the bitterness may disappear.
FAQs
Is leaf-type lettuce easier to grow than the head-type?
Yes. Leaf lettuce generally matures fast, which makes it ideal for home garden production. Most leaf-type lettuce varieties will mature in seven to eight weeks, but can really be harvested anytime you see leaves big enough to eat. Just take off the outer leaves and let the inner leaves stay to get bigger.
Head lettuce varieties take a little longer and are more sensitive to warm weather.
The tips of my lettuce leaves are turning brown, but the base looks healthy. What is the problem?
Browning, or scorching around the margins of leaves is often caused by too little water. During dry weather be sure to water and keep the soil mulched. If the plants are getting enough water, perhaps the roots have been injured from too much fertilizer, nematodes, or too close cultivation. A lack of potassium and calcium can also cause the margins to scorch.
My lettuce plants have grown tall and flowered. What should I do?
It's time to pull your lettuce up. The flowering stalks form at the end of the spring growing season when the days are longer and warmer.
My lettuce tastes bitter. Is it the variety?
No, all lettuce gets bitter during hot weather and when the flower stalks begin to form. You can store the leaves in the refrigerator for a day or two to see if some of the bitterness will disappear.
Some gardeners like the slightly bitter taste to add punch to a salad.
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Once you know when to plant lettuce, you'll be able to enjoy the healthy and nutritious leaves with nearly every meal.
Lettuce is available in a wide range of colors and flavors, from crisp and crunchy iceberg, slightly bitter romaine varieties, to milder tasting, frilly loose leaf lettuce, such as burgundy tinted lollo rosso.
An easy crop for your home vegetable patch, even novice vegetable gardeners will be able to quickly get to grips with how to grow lettuce.
Homegrown lettuce is both more flavorsome and more economical than buying bags from the grocery store – which have sometimes wilted before you even get them home – so once you start growing lettuce you'll never look back. Pick a variety to plant for your vegetable garden ideas and you'll be spoilt for choice of what to add to salads. Below, we explain everything you need to know about when to plant lettuce.
When to plant lettuce
(Image credit: Toinane on Unsplash)
When you plant lettuce seeds will depend on when you want to harvest the leaves, the variety you choose, and also where you live.
'Lettuce should be succession grown, which means good timing and good choice,’ says celebrity gardener Monty Don in his Gardeners' World programme.
'Be sure to choose the right variety of lettuce for the right season for a supply throughout the year,' he adds.
Lettuce is a cool season crop so prefers conditions that are not too warm; if you live in a hotter zone, then opt for varieties that can cope with warmer conditions and won't bolt – produce flowers – as easily, and plant them where they will benefit from some shade. This can be achieved by companion planting them next to taller, leafy crops.
If you like to include lettuce in salads or sandwiches almost year round, then there are different times for sowing.
Lettuce is also suited to vegetable container garden ideas, so you can extend the growing season by placing containers to sheltered spots.
(Image credit: Unsplash)
What month should you plant lettuce?
There are many months in which you can plant lettuce.
Lettuce can be sown direct outdoors from early spring until late summer, for crops through summer and fall. 'Sow lettuce directly into the garden under a fine layer of soil after the last hard frost,' advises gardening guru Jo Gardener , although most lettuce can tolerate a mild spring frost.
The seeds will germinate in one to two weeks in soil that is between 40 and 75°F (4-23°C) , 'but between 40 and 60°F will produce the best results,' Joe adds.
Sow seeds thinly, about ½in deep, 8in apart, in rows about 1ft apart.
By sowing seeds every couple of weeks, you'll have a continual supply to harvest, which makes the best use of space as a small vegetable garden idea.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
How early can you plant lettuce outside?
The earliest you can plant lettuce outside is after the last hard frost for most varieties, which will vary from region to region.
However, for an earlier crop, in late spring, you can sow the seeds indoors in early February, or about 4 weeks before the last hard frost as part of your greenhouse planning and then plant out the seedlings in early March, under cloches or plastic tunnels.
'Some varieties, especially iceberg-type lettuces, can be started indoors earlier, about 8 weeks before the last frost,' says Joe.
To start off indoors, 'fill seed trays with compost nearly to the top, then thinly scatter one or two seeds across the surface of each cell. Cover with a fine layer of compost, and give them a gentle water,' advises Sam Corfield in his book Sow Grow Gather: the beginner's guide to growing an edible garden .
By starting lettuce seedlings indoors and planting out as soon as possible, you will get the maximum harvest from the lettuce plants before they start to bolt in the warmer weather.
(Image credit: Future/Simon Brown)
If you are staggering sowing every couple of weeks through spring and summer, then as the soil temperature rises it may prevent some cultivars from germinating.
The experts at the RHS recommend sowing in the evening in hot spells, then water well and provide the lettuce crops with some shade to keep them cooler.
You can also choose lettuce varieties that are more heat tolerant, such as butterhead and loose leaf. Check the seed packets for those labeled 'heat resistant'.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
How late can I grow lettuce?
The latest you. can leave it for when to plant lettuce will again depend on the variety.
You can sow lettuce in late summer for winter crops, protecting the plants with cloches once the temperature starts to dip.
There are some winter lettuces, such as Winter Density, a cross between butterhead and romaine, that can be planted or sown in the fall, especially in milder areas, and then protected with cloches. Or if you live in a cooler zone, sow the winter lettuce in a greenhouse or cold frame. These will be ready to harvest in spring.
(Image credit: Getty)
When do you plant lettuce in containers?
Lettuce is an ideal crop for planting in containers and can be planted a little earlier than if you are growing it direct in the ground as you can protect the potted crops from frost.
If you have started off your lettuce in seed trays, they once the plants are about 3in tall, 'fill up your chosen container with potting soil and create small holes 8in apart.
Pop a baby lettuce into each hole and gently press down around the base to secure. Keep them well watered,' advises Sam Corfield.
Cut-and-come-again loose leaf lettuce make the best use of container space and will be easier to maintain. Ensure the container has good drainage and place it in a sunny spot, although in hot spells move to a shadier location to avoid the lettuce bolting.
So with careful planning of when to plant lettuce and selecting the right varieties to grow at different times, you can enjoy a homegrown crop of the delicious salad leaves nearly every month of the year.
Rachel is senior content editor, and writes and commissions gardening content for homesandgardens.com, Homes & Gardens magazine, and its sister titles Period Living Magazine and Country Homes & Interiors. She has written for lifestyle magazines for many years, with a particular focus on gardening, historic houses and arts and crafts, but started out her journalism career in BBC radio, where she enjoyed reporting on and writing programme scripts for all manner of stories.
Rachel then moved into regional lifestyle magazines, where the topics she wrote about, and people she interviewed, were as varied and eclectic as they were on radio. Always harboring a passion for homes and gardens, she jumped at the opportunity to work on The English Home and The English Garden magazines for a number of years, before joining the Period Living team, then the wider Homes & Gardens team, specializing in gardens.
When to plant lettuce outdoors? / Seeds for leafy crops
Even a gardener with minimal experience will cope with planting leaf lettuce. The culture will bring a harvest when planted in a greenhouse, on an open garden bed, or when grown on the windowsill of an ordinary city apartment. You need to know when to plant a crop in open ground conditions, varieties, planting dates, soil requirements, temperature conditions.
Lettuce is a hardy crop. Its seedlings can withstand temperatures down to -4 degrees. Mature plants remain green at lower temperatures - up to -8 degrees.However, these figures are extreme.
The optimum temperature for the variety ranges from 15-20 degrees above zero. This mode will allow the plant to develop properly and delight the summer resident with delicious shoots, even when grown in open ground. Culture loves moisture. Sufficient watering will allow its leaves to maintain special juiciness and bring a good harvest in open ground conditions.
Soil requirements
Open soil for lettuce is best prepared in autumn. Before planting, the earth must be dug up, loosened. Loosening is an important procedure when growing a crop. This is due to the root system of the plant.
If possible, it is good to add organic fertilizers: chicken or cow manure.
Previously fertilized beds can be used for planting leaf lettuce outdoors.
In this form, the site remains until spring. Leaf lettuce is good for planting on slightly alkaline soils, as well as in areas with a neutral acid reaction.
Lettuce should not be planted in heavy clay or saline areas. This will lead to the death of the plant. A place for a future landing is chosen sunny. In the shade, the plant develops poorly. Otherwise, it is rather unpretentious.
When to plant lettuce
When to plant outdoors? Lettuce has one feature: with prolonged cultivation of the plant, the leaves become bitter. Therefore, it will be correct to periodically plant the plant again, like radishes.
The optimal time for sowing seeds is the end of April. Under adverse weather conditions, you can plant a crop in early May. Leaf lettuce seeds germinate when the ground temperature is +5 degrees. Therefore, from the moment the snow melts completely, you can prepare for landing.
Seeds are planted in a previously dug-up bed. The soil should stand for two days before planting. Seeds are sown in furrows, the distance between which should be at least 15 cm.
A distance of at least 4 cm should be left between plants.
Seeds should not be planted deep. So shoots will appear faster, and with them the first harvest. The plant has good germination. Usually the first sprouts appear on the third day.
Growing lettuce seedlings
Some summer residents, in order to quickly get a crop of lettuce, prepare seedlings for planting. Sowing dates in this case are shifted to March. Seeds are planted in a container with fertilized soil. You can use individual cups, peat pots. When to plant seedlings in open ground? It is transplanted into open ground after 20 days. Seeds by this time give good sprouts. The plant does not like transplanting, so care must be taken.
Variety of varieties
Varieties of lettuce are different. Early maturing plants have a growing season of up to 40 days. Among the varieties you can choose for open ground, for planting in a greenhouse and even on a windowsill.
In the open field it is better to grow varieties such as:
- Emerald;
- Golden ball;
- Riga;
- Odessa Curly;
- Red creed.
Plants of these varieties are unpretentious in care, temperature changes. For greenhouses, such as:
- Moscow greenhouse;
- Lollo Rossa.
Lettuce is harvested at home. Moreover, it can be sown throughout the year in open ground. Seeds and seedlings are suitable for this purpose.
Additional lighting required in winter.
Pay attention to the distance between lettuce plants. Varieties that are great for planting in an apartment:
- Red Credo,
- Odessa,
- Lolo bionda.
Salad Care Features
A good lettuce crop is fairly easy to obtain.
Plant care includes three mandatory steps: watering, loosening, removing wild herbs.
Watering should be timely, in sunny weather once a day. In cloudy weather, in the absence of rain, it is necessary to water the crop at least twice every seven days.
This should be done in the evening after the sun has set below the horizon. Watering must be carried out with a watering can, which will evenly moisten the soil.
For the purpose of good aeration of the root system and better nutrition of the plant, the soil must be loosened in time. Then all the nutrients will go to the leaves.
Due to the precocity of the crop, it can not be fed.
It is best to fertilize the soil in autumn or spring just before planting.
Remove weeds between plants in time to prevent them from crushing the crop. With the development of various diseases on the leaves, the bush must be removed from the garden. This will prevent the spread of infection to healthy plants. Chemicals are not recommended for pest control. For this, there are folk methods, for example, garlic infusion.
Storage considerations
With proper care lettuce can be harvested fairly quickly. Sufficient lighting, good watering and after a few days you can enjoy the first leaves.
When the leaves reach a length of 6 cm, they are cut off. It is better to harvest in sunny weather, which will ensure its long preservation.
You can pick the leaves, then the lettuce will continue to grow. Leave the salad in the refrigerator. Room temperature has a bad effect on a plucked lettuce bush. It quickly dries up and deteriorates.
Helpful Hints
Leaf lettuce is easy to care for. However, if you are new to gardening, here are some helpful hints:
- Some varieties are suitable for gardening;
- For better soil warming before planting, cover material is used to cover the future bed;
- Seeds should be planted at some distance from each other;
- Also, the ground should be covered after sowing, which will promote rapid germination;
- Timely watering is necessary for the growth of succulent leaves.
Lettuce is gaining more and more fans. This is due to the many advantages of this culture.
The leaves of the plant do not just contain vitamins, they are useful for certain diseases: heart, sleep disorders. Easy care, undemanding to top dressing, temperature changes, a quick ripening period, a rich harvest make it one of the favorite crops among beginners in gardening.
site selection, sowing, care, feeding, video
Can you tell me when to plant lettuce outdoors? Found a few packets of seeds. Is it possible to sow them now next to the tomatoes?
Lettuce is a crop that can be grown in the garden almost all year round. He is not afraid of the cold, loves the sun and water, and the seeds germinate quickly, which allows you to feast on fresh leaves from early spring until the very frost.
Sowing time
Early varieties of lettuce should be sown outdoors from April. At this time, the earth has already warmed up enough for them to quickly ascend.
Late and mid-season species are planted a month later - in May, and up to the second decade of June.
The peculiarities of lettuce ripening include the predominance of bitter taste during the growth of the stem by the bush. Then the leaves become inedible.
In order to have sweet and juicy leaves all summer long, repeated sowing of seeds is practiced. Until the end of August, the seeds are sown in the vacant place every 10 days. In addition, like all cold-resistant crops, lettuce tolerates low temperatures well, which allows it to be sown before winter (in October). Read: the use of ammonium nitrate!
Where is the best place to plant?
Lettuce grows well in almost any soil, except clay, but more lush bushes are obtained when grown in loose and nutritious soil. To do this, dig deep into the allotted area in the fall, after adding humus (for each square meter in a bucket).
Immediately before spring sowing, fertilize the soil with mineral fertilizers, based on one square of soil:
- 1 tsp.
potassium sulfate; - 2 tsp. superphosphate;
- 2 tsp. Mortar.
In case of high acidity add wood ash.
Lettuce beds are best laid out in a sunny position, avoiding shading. Lettuce grows well after cucumbers and potatoes. In the summer, you can make combined plantings with tomatoes, onions or radishes.
How to plant?
Make shallow grooves (up to 1 cm) on the loosened and fertilized area and put seeds in them. Since the bushes grow quite lush, you will need to make the row spacing up to 20 cm.
For more convenience, small seeds can be mixed with sand.
Water the planted bed well. For early spring sowing, it is recommended to cover it with a film to speed up germination.
How to care?
When all the seeds have sprouted and the seedlings have grown a little, they should be thinned out, leaving between the bushes:
- from 6 cm - for leaf lettuce;
- from 10 cm - for head varieties.
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