Crops › Lettuce
How to grow Lettuce
in the US
Sow March to October, plant out November, harvest April to November. About 50 days from seed to plate. You can sow it this month.
Shown for zone 6. Zone table further down.
Lettuce, it's a proper staple, isn't it? Nothing beats the taste of fresh leaves picked straight from your own backyard. It's an easy one to get going, really satisfying to see those heads firm up on the plot.
Sowing
Now, sowing times for lettuce, they really depend on your USDA zone, so check the app for your local climate. For zones 5-7, you're looking at March through May for a spring crop, then August and September for a fall harvest. Further south in zones 9-10, you can even get going in January and February. Pop the seeds about a quarter inch deep, maybe half a centimeter, then cover lightly. I always sow a small batch every couple of weeks, you know, for a continuous harvest, a bit of succession planting. They usually take about 50 days to be ready.
Growing on
If you started your seeds indoors or in a cold frame, you'll want to prick those seedlings out when they're big enough to handle. Give them their own little pots, then harden them off for a week or two before planting out. Space them about 6 to 12 inches apart, depending on the type you're growing. Lettuce does great in containers too, or nestled between your carrots, radishes, or even strawberries. Good companions, those.
Looking after it
Lettuce likes a bit of moisture, so keep it well-watered, especially when it's hot and dry. A bit of mulch around the plants helps keep the soil moist and the weeds down. You don't usually need to feed them much, to be honest. Just make sure they don't bolt in hot weather; that's when they decide to go to seed and get bitter.
What goes wrong
Slugs and aphids are your main enemies with lettuce, they really love those tender leaves. Keep an eye out for them, maybe some slug pellets or a bit of neem oil for the aphids. Leaf miners can be a nuisance too, leaving squiggly lines on the leaves, and cutworms can chop off young plants. Best to check your plants regularly, catch 'em early.
Harvest
You can start picking lettuce leaves as soon as they look decent, about 50 days after sowing for most varieties. Just take the outer leaves so the plant keeps producing, or harvest the whole head if you prefer. For storing, pop them in the fridge in an airtight container or a damp paper towel; they'll keep for a good while like that. Don't leave them on the plot too long once they're ready.
To be honest, the best bit of advice I can give you for lettuce is to sow little and often. Just a small batch every couple of weeks, that way you get a steady supply and never have a proper glut that goes to waste.
Dates for your plot
Type your zone and the plant-out advice shifts to your frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Buttercrunch Buttercrunch is a classic butterhead type, giving you lovely soft leaves. It's a really reliable performer, perfect for anyone just starting out with growing their own. | No club votes yet |
| Salinas This Salinas variety is a cracking choice for direct sowing in the garden. It's a dependable grower that produces good, crisp heads. | No club votes yet |
| Ithaca Ithaca is another solid choice, doing well when started undercover in a cold frame or greenhouse. You'll get nice, firm heads from this one. | No club votes yet |
| Red Sails Red Sails brings a splash of color to your salads with its attractive reddish leaves. It's a reliable performer that adds a bit of flair to your plate. | No club votes yet |
| Green Ice Green Ice is a crisphead type, known for its crinkled, deep green leaves. It’s a reliable performer that holds up well in the garden. | No club votes yet |
| Oakleaf Oakleaf lettuce is a loose-leaf type, meaning you can pick individual leaves as you need them. It's a reliable performer with a lovely mild flavor, great for continuous harvesting. | No club votes yet |
| Parris Island Cos Parris Island Cos is a classic romaine type, giving you tall, upright heads with crunchy leaves. It's a reliable performer that's chuffed with most growing conditions. | No club votes yet |
| Little Gem Little Gem is a proper little star, a compact romaine that's perfect for smaller spaces or containers. It's a reliable performer that packs a lot of flavor into a small package. | No club votes yet |
| Jericho Jericho is a robust romaine variety, known for its heat tolerance, which is handy in some zones. It's a reliable performer that gives you good, crisp leaves. | No club votes yet |
| Lollo Rossa Lollo Rossa is a stunning loose-leaf type with frilly, reddish-green leaves, making your salads look proper fancy. It's a reliable performer and a real treat for the eyes. | No club votes yet |
| Tom Thumb Tom Thumb is a wonderfully small butterhead variety, ideal for quick harvests or tight spots. This reliable performer is perfect if you only need a little bit of lettuce at a time. | No club votes yet |
| New Red Fire New Red Fire gives you big, crinkled leaves with a lovely red blush. It's a reliable performer that adds both texture and color to your salad bowl. | No club votes yet |
| Black Seeded Simpson Black Seeded Simpson is a very popular loose-leaf variety, quick to grow and easy to manage. It's a reliable performer, great for cutting and coming again. | No club votes yet |
| Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is another classic loose-leaf lettuce, known for its crinkled, light green leaves. It’s a reliable performer that's quite popular for its quick growth. | No club votes yet |
| Nevada Nevada is a lovely crisphead type, offering solid heads with a nice crunch. It's a reliable performer that does well when given a bit of shelter to start. | 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 seeds
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Sowing by USDA zone
| Zone | Sow / plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | May to August | June to September |
| Zone 4 | April to August | May to September |
| Zone 5 | March to September | April to November |
| Zone 6 | March to October | April to November |
| Zone 7 | February to November | March to December |
| Zone 8 | February to November | March to December |
| Zone 9 | September to March | February to December |
| Zone 10 | September to March | February to December |
Cook the harvest
The definitive American composed salad, invented at the Brown Derby in Hollywood and still irresistible today. Crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce are topped with rows of chicken, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, tomatoes, and blue cheese, then drizzled with a tangy red wine vinaigrette.
45 min · mediumA wildly popular American-Chinese fusion salad featuring shredded iceberg and napa lettuce, tender poached chicken, crunchy wonton strips, mandarin oranges, and toasted almonds, all tossed in a sweet sesame-ginger dressing. A California classic that's endlessly satisfying.
45 min · mediumA bright, vivid green soup that makes the most of two spring ingredients at their best — sweet peas and tender lettuce — blended with a little mint and a touch of cream into something that tastes unmistakably of the season. It comes together in under 30 minutes and is equally good warm or chilled.
30 min · easyA silky, elegant soup rooted in classical French cooking, where a full head of romaine or butterhead lettuce is simmered with leeks and a little potato until tender, then blended to a smooth, jade-green cream. Finished with a splash of heavy cream and a swirl of crème fraîche, it tastes far more luxurious than the short effort involved.
40 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Companions: carrots, radishes, strawberries, cucumbers, beets
Questions people ask
When do you sow Lettuce in the US?
Sow Lettuce from March to October in zone 6, earlier or later by zone. Plant out November, after the last frost.
How long does Lettuce take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 50 days, with the harvest April to November.
Which Lettuce varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Buttercrunch, Salinas, Ithaca, Red Sails and more.
Track your Lettuce 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.