Crops › Lettuce (Butterhead)
How to grow Lettuce (Butterhead)
in the UK
Sow March to August, plant out September, harvest May to October. About 55 days from seed to plate.
Fresh lettuce, straight from your plot, there's nothing quite like it, is there? Butterhead is a proper easy one to get going, perfect for salads all summer long. You'll be chuffed with the tender, sweet leaves you can grow yourself.
Sowing
You can start these off indoors in trays from March, or sow direct into the soil once the ground warms up a bit, usually from April. Just sprinkle the seeds thinly over a shallow drill, about a centimetre deep, and cover them lightly. Keep the soil damp, and they'll usually pop up in about a week. To keep a steady supply coming, sow a small batch every two to three weeks right through to August. That way, you'll always have some fresh heads ready to pick.
Growing on
If you've started them indoors, prick out the seedlings gently once they've got their first proper leaves, giving them some space in individual pots or modules. Harden them off outside for a week or so before planting them out after the last risk of frost, which up here in the North is usually mid to late May. Give them about 25 cm between each plant, so they've got room to develop. They do well in containers too, especially the smaller varieties.
Looking after it
The main thing with lettuce, to be honest, is keeping them well watered, especially in dry spells. If they dry out, they can go bitter or bolt, which means they'll try and flower too early. A bit of compost mulched around them helps keep the moisture in. They don't need much in the way of feeding, just good soil.
What goes wrong
Slugs and snails are the main culprits, bless 'em, they just love a tender lettuce leaf. Keep an eye out and pick them off, or use whatever method works for you. Aphids can sometimes be a bother too, but a good spray of water can often dislodge them, or a bit of soapy water if it's really bad.
Harvest
You'll be ready to pick your first heads in about 55 days from sowing, so keep an eye on them from May right through to October. You can either snip off the outer leaves as you need them, letting the plant grow on, or harvest the whole head by cutting it at the base. They're best eaten fresh, like I say, as they don't really store for long, so just pick what you need.
I always try to sow a tiny pinch of seeds every couple of weeks, even if it's just a few in a small pot, then I never run out.
Dates for your plot
Type the first half of your postcode and the plant-out advice shifts to your area's typical frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Tom Thumb Miniature variety, perfect for small spaces or containers. Great if you're just starting out or short on room. | No club votes yet |
| Buttercrunch Forms crisp hearts with a lovely buttery texture. A real cracker for a maincrop salad. | No club votes yet |
| All The Year Round A really reliable variety that'll do well almost any time you sow it. Good for beginners, always delivers. | No club votes yet |
| Sangria Red butterhead. | No club votes yet |
| Attraktion A specialty lettuce with lovely red tinges on the leaves. Looks great and tastes sweet. | No club votes yet |
| Clarion Known for being resistant to mildew, which can be a problem sometimes. A good choice if you've had issues before. | No club votes yet |
| Merveille des Quatre Saisons A heritage variety from France, showing off bronze-red leaves. A really attractive and tasty one. | No club votes yet |
| Butterhead Boston Grows into a large, soft head with a mild, sweet flavour. Proper satisfying to grow. | No club votes yet |
| May King This is an early cropper, giving you light green heads when you're desperate for your first lettuce. Great for getting a head start. | No club votes yet |
| Sangria Red butterhead. | No club votes yet |
| Divina A sweet tasting lettuce that's known for being bolt resistant. Good if you struggle with lettuce going to seed too quickly. | No club votes yet |
| Roxy An oak leaf type with lovely red-brown leaves, a proper heritage beauty. Adds texture and colour to your salads. | No club votes yet |
| Bijou A small, compact head variety that's great for tighter spaces. Perfect for containers or small beds. | No club votes yet |
| Pandero A reliable green butterhead that you can count on for good yields. A solid choice for any gardener. | No club votes yet |
| Cassandra A disease-resistant type with pretty red-tinged leaves. A good one if you're looking for a bit more resilience. | No club votes yet |
Votes are members rating varieties in their Seed Tin, one vote per gardener. Tap a variety for the full page and where to buy.
Buy Lettuce (Butterhead) seeds
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Cook the harvest
A light, vibrant Japanese-inspired salad that takes less than fifteen minutes from garden to table. The miso and ginger dressing has real depth and a pleasant funkiness that plays brilliantly against the mild, sweet butterhead leaves. Crispy sesame seeds and a scattering of radish make this feel like a considered dish rather than a simple salad.
12 min · easyA bold, North African-inspired salad where chickpeas are fried until golden and crisp, then tossed with wilted butterhead leaves, preserved lemon, and a smoky harissa dressing. The butterhead lettuce does something wonderful here — it half-wilts in the heat of the pan, turning silky and sweet while holding just enough structure to carry the chickpeas. Ready in under 25 minutes and substantial enough to eat as a main.
24 min · easyA golden shortcrust pastry case filled with a creamy, savoury custard packed with slowly wilted butterhead lettuce and sweet leeks. Cooking the lettuce transforms it entirely — the leaves collapse into something silky, rich, and deeply flavoured, a world away from a salad bowl. This is the kind of thing you make when your garden is giving you more butterhead than you know what to do with.
90 min · mediumCrisp, cup-shaped butterhead leaves stand in entirely for taco shells here, cradling a punchy filling of smoky black beans, crumbled feta, quick-pickled red onion and a fiery chipotle lime dressing. It is fast, fresh and requires zero cooking beyond warming the beans — exactly what weeknight eating should be. The lettuce is not a substitute for something better; it genuinely makes these brighter and more refreshing than a hard shell ever could.
25 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Questions people ask
When do you sow Lettuce (Butterhead) in the UK?
Sow Lettuce (Butterhead) from March to August. Plant out September, after the last frost.
How long does Lettuce (Butterhead) take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 55 days, with the harvest May to October.
Which Lettuce (Butterhead) varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Tom Thumb, Buttercrunch, All The Year Round, Sangria and more.
Track your Lettuce (Butterhead) from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.