Lettuce is easy to grow. It is one of the first crops that can be planted, and is one of the first crops to yield in the spring.

Plant Constant

Soil PH:                       6.0 to 7.5      
Soil Type:                    Moist
Planting Season:          Early Fall & Early Spring
Planting Depth:            1/2"
Plant Spacing:              8” to 12”
Row Spacing:               12”
Plant Height:                12”
Days to Germinate:       7 - 10
Sun:                             Mild
Days to Harvest:            45

Plant Characteristics

Lettuce is a leafy plant that grows upto 12 inches tall. There are dozens of lettuce varieties to choose from, all falling within four basic categories:

1. Leaf lettuces produce a rosette of loose leaves at the crown. Plant several varieties to produce your own mix of greens. Recommended types include Green Ice, one of the sweetest lettuces available; Prizeleaf, known for its tenderness and flavor; and the heat-tolerant Royal Oak Leaf.
2. Butterhead, also called Boston, Bibb, or limestone lettuce, is one of the easiest lettuces to grow. The best part is you can plant it from spring through fall. The soft, fine-textured leaves look somewhat like spinach and have a sweet, buttery flavor. Buttercrunch is perhaps the most popular variety. Burpee Bibb is best for early-spring planting, and Merveille des Quatre Saisons (Marvel of Four Seasons) has a fine cucumber-like flavor.
3. Crispheads have large, firm heads (think iceberg lettuce). They need a long, cool growing season, so they're not practical for most home gardens unless planted for fall. Mini Green and Summertime are exceptions, but the heads aren't as large or firm as iceberg.
4. Romaine, or cos, lettuces feature tall heads and thick, sweet ribs. They have more nutrients than other varieties, but their flavors can be overwhelming unless paired with milder lettuce. Rouch d'Hiver, Little Caesar, and Parris Island are the easiest to grow.

When to Plant
Lettuce is a cool season crop. You can plant it in the early spring or in late summer for a fall harvest. To be exact, plant lettuce about 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost date in early fall and 2-4 weeks before the last frost date in later winter/early spring. Lettuce is somewhat tolerant of frosts, although it will not take extended freezing temperatures.

Soil Preparation
To grow lettuce, prepare beds as soon as the soil is workable with generous amounts of organic matter, such as compost. Lettuce will do well with only 5 or more hours of sunlight a day. In general lettuce is a light feeder, so an initial application of fertilizer is probably all that will be needed. A soil pH of about 6.0 to 7.5 is preferred. If you are planting in a container, you will need to have the soil depth of at lest 6-8 inches.

Planting
If you are direct seeding in the garden, plant them 1/2 inch deep and about 3 inch apart in rows 1 foot apart, and cover with a fine soil. As the seeds sprout and reach 2 inches in height, thin them out, adding the pickings to your salad. The spacing varies with the variety, leave lettuce can be thinned to about 8 inches part, but crisphead needs to be spaced about 12-14 inches apart. Often the seeds are started inside and transplanted. If you do start them inside, be sure to harden them off by exposing them to the outside conditions a few hours a day for several days ahead of planting

Caring
Water 1/2 to 1 inch per week. Lettuce needs the watering to be consistent.

Harvesting
Pick lettuces as soon as it is big enough to use. On loose-headed varieties, the outer leaves can be picked and the inner leaves allowed to grow. You can also use the plants pulled while thinning. Do not let lettuce grow too long. Lettuce is better picked early than late.

Subsequent Crops
Some lettuce plants bolt to seeds late in the season especially early summer which can be collected and dried.