lettuce

Lettuce: How to Grow and When to Plant in Your Backyard or Patio Garden!

Carrie

Carrie

With all of the colors, shapes, and flavors of lettuce available, you can have a different salad every day of the week! Lettuce is adaptable to many different growing conditions but likes to stay in a cool 60 to 65 degrees. It will happily grow in the spring and fall, but you should plan to grow them in the shade during the hotter months to slow bolting.
With all of the colors, shapes, and flavors of lettuce available, you can have a different salad every day of the week! Lettuce is adaptable to many different growing conditions but likes to stay in a cool 60 to 65 degrees. It will happily grow in the spring and fall, but you should plan to grow them in the shade during the hotter months to slow bolting. Bolting is whenever the plant turns bitter and sends up a tall, flowering middle stock. At this point, the plant is done. However, the flowers are a powerful attractant for beneficial bees and butterflies in the garden and we usually keep them around.

How to Grow:

Lettuce is a cool season crop that can be planted up to 7 weeks before your last spring frost and 4-6 weeks before your last fall frost. You can see specific dates for your location using our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App. Lettuce seeds can be planted 1/8 inch deep, 16 per square foot, in the full sun to part shade. Take care to notice what plants are around the area as well, see the companion plant section below. Lettuce seeds can sprout within 2-3 days. Keep moist moist while growing, but be careful to not wet leaves.

Companion Plants:

Companion planting is a vital part of organic gardening. Companion plants assist in the growth of others by attracting beneficial insects, repelling pests, or providing nutrients, shade, or support. There are also plants that do not like being next to each other. Some plants get too tall and can provide too much shade for your plant. Sometimes certain plants attract the same pests, so it is important to try and separate these.
         Good Bad
Arugula Marjoram Broccoli
Asparagus Okra Eggplant
Beans (bush & pole) Onions  
Beets Oregano  
Carrots Peas  
Chamomile Potatoes  
Corn Radish  
Cucumbers Spinach  
Dill Strawberries  
Garlic Sunflowers  
Kohlrabi Tarragon  
Marigolds Tomatoes (bush & vine)  
 See companion plants for 100+ foods in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web app!

Pests:

Pests can be one of the most difficult challenges you face in the garden. We strive to grow food without the use of pesticide and luckily there are natural solutions for most of these nasty pests! The pests listed below are common ones for lettuce: Learn more about how to manage pests and attract beneficial insects in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App!

Harvesting:

Lettuce is ready to harvest within 40-70 days. Cut from outer leaves continuously once the plant has 4 or 5 sets of leaves. New leaves will grow and replenish what you take. Never take more than 1/3 of the plant.

Cooking & Eating!

Rinse the leaves under cool water, then spin or pat them dry. They can be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for several days. Chop them up to use in salads, burritos, burgers, and sandwiches.
  Learn more about growing over 100 different foods, including how to manage various pests in our FREE iOS, Android, or new Universal Web App! Lettuce

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