Lettuce Lactuca sativa

Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this

The quick, cool-season backbone of the salad garden — a fast-growing leafy annual grown for crisp, tender leaves in loose-leaf, butterhead, romaine, and crisphead forms. Easy to direct-sow, generous over a long picking window, and one of the most beginner-friendly crops you can plant.

Light

Lettuce grows best in full sun during cool weather, but unlike fruiting crops it tolerates — and in summer actively appreciates — partial shade. Aim for at least 4–6 hours of sun in spring and fall for fast, leafy growth and good color. Once temperatures climb, lettuce stressed by hot afternoon sun bolts (sends up a flower stalk) and turns bitter, so a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade, or the dappled shade of taller crops, extends the harvest through warm spells. Seedlings started indoors need a bright grow light a few inches above them to stay stocky rather than stretching pale and leggy toward the window.

Watering

Lettuce has shallow roots and high water content, so it wants steady, even moisture — roughly 1 to 1.5 inches per week, delivered as light, frequent waterings rather than occasional soakings. Let the bed dry out and growth stalls while the leaves turn tough and bitter and bolting speeds up. Water at the base in the morning so foliage dries quickly, which discourages downy mildew and rot in the dense, tender leaves. A thin mulch of straw conserves moisture and keeps soil cool around the roots. Container and raised-bed lettuce dries fastest and may need watering daily in warm weather. Consistency is everything: erratic wet-then-dry swings produce bitter, stringy leaves.

Soil & potting

Plant in loose, rich, well-drained soil generously worked with compost, aiming for a near-neutral pH of 6.0–7.0. Because lettuce roots are shallow and fast, it rewards a fine, crumbly seedbed with plenty of organic matter to hold moisture near the surface. Heavy, compacted, or poorly drained ground causes uneven germination and stunted heads. A raised bed warms early in spring and drains well, giving lettuce a quick start. In containers, a wide, shallow pot of quality mix suits its rooting habit perfectly. Keep the surface consistently moist while seeds germinate, since the tiny seeds sit barely below the soil line.

Humidity & temperature

Lettuce is a cool-season crop that thrives between 45–65°F and germinates poorly once soil tops about 75–80°F. Light frost barely fazes it — many varieties shrug off temperatures into the upper 20s°F — but heat is the real enemy: sustained warmth above 75°F triggers bolting, bitterness, and a milky, tough texture. Plant in early spring and again in late summer for a fall crop, dodging the heat of midsummer. In hot regions, choose bolt-resistant varieties and provide afternoon shade. Frost cloth lets you start earlier in spring and stretch the harvest weeks past the first fall frosts, and a cold frame can carry hardy types through mild winters.

Fertilizing

Lettuce is a leafy crop, so it favors nitrogen for fast, tender growth. Work compost or a balanced fertilizer into the bed before planting, then side-dress with a nitrogen-rich or balanced feed two to three weeks after seedlings emerge to keep leaves coming. A diluted liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks suits cut-and-come-again loose-leaf types that are picked repeatedly. Avoid overdoing it: excess nitrogen produces floppy, nitrate-heavy leaves and can mask other problems. Container plants exhaust their potting mix quickly and benefit from lighter, more frequent feeding. Because lettuce matures fast, steady moderate feeding beats one heavy dose.

Pruning & maintenance

Lettuce isn't pruned so much as harvested — and how you harvest shapes the plant. With loose-leaf and romaine types, use the cut-and-come-again method: snip the outer leaves an inch above the crown and the plant keeps producing from the center for weeks. Heading types like butterhead and crisphead are cut whole at the base once the head firms up. Pick in the cool of the morning when leaves are crispest and least bitter. Remove any yellowing, slug-damaged, or rotting outer leaves to keep the plant tidy and airy. The moment a plant sends up a central stalk and turns bitter, harvest what's left and replant.

Propagation

Lettuce is grown from seed and is one of the easiest crops to start. Sow seeds just 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep — they need light to germinate, so don't bury them — in moist, fine soil, and keep the surface damp until sprouts appear in 7–10 days. Direct-sow into the garden as soon as soil can be worked in spring, sowing small batches every two to three weeks for a continuous supply. Cool soil germinates best; in heat, start seed indoors or in a shaded spot and transplant. Thin seedlings to give each plant room, and use the thinnings as baby greens. There's no need for grafting or cuttings.

Common problems

Bolting (going to seed)Heat and long days trigger a flower stalk and bitter leaves — beat it with timing, shade, and bolt-resistant varieties.→Bitter leavesUsually heat stress or dry soil — steady moisture and cool conditions keep leaves sweet.→

Through the year

Spring

Prime season — direct-sow as soon as soil can be worked, sow a fresh batch every 2–3 weeks, and keep the bed evenly moist for fast, sweet leaves.

Summer

Heat's the enemy — grow bolt-resistant types in afternoon shade, water frequently, and harvest young before plants turn bitter.

Fall

A second prime window — sow in late summer for a fall crop, and use frost cloth to push the harvest well past the first light frosts.

Winter

Out of season in most zones; in mild regions a cold frame or hardy variety can overwinter, while colder gardeners plan and order seed.

Companion planting

Good companions: carrots, radishes, beets, and onions; the tall shade of pole beans or corn helps it through summer heat.

Recommended supplies for Lettuce

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