When to plant lettuce
Lettuce is a cool-season crop that takes a light frost, so it can go out a little before the last frost. Type your town to see the dates for your weather station.
Lettuce in Columbus, OHZONE 6B
- Start seeds indoors
- Feb 28 to Mar 28
- Set plants outside
- Mar 21 to Apr 18
- Or sow seed outside
- Mar 21 to Apr 4
- Fall: direct sow
- Aug 4 to Oct 6
- First harvest
- May 10 to Jun 14
Counted from the average last frost, Apr 18, and first frost, Oct 27, at Columbus Port Columbus Intl Airport, OH (NOAA 1991-2020).
The seed packet, in short
| Planting depth | 1/4 to 1/2 in |
|---|---|
| Spacing in the row | 4 to 12 in |
| Between rows | 10 to 30 in |
| Soil temperature | at least 35 °F, best 55 to 75 °F |
| Days to sprout | 4 to 10 days |
| Days to harvest | 50 to 85 days from seed |
| Row per person | 5 to 15 feet |
Lettuce plant planting dates by zone
Each row uses the typical frost dates of a zone: the middle value among towns of 10,000 people or more in it. In zone 6b, for example, the typical last frost is Apr 20, so the first step for lettuce, start seeds indoors, falls Mar 2 to 30. Towns in one zone can differ by two weeks, so your own town's dates above are the better guide.
| Zone | Last frost | Start seeds indoors | Set plants outside | Or sow seed outside | Fall: direct sow | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | May 5 | Mar 17 to Apr 14 | Apr 7 to May 5 | Apr 7 to 21 | Jul 13 to Sep 14 | May 27 to Jul 1 |
| 5a | Apr 30 | Mar 12 to Apr 9 | Apr 2 to 30 | Apr 2 to 16 | Jul 17 to Sep 18 | May 22 to Jun 26 |
| 5b | Apr 28 | Mar 10 to Apr 7 | Mar 31 to Apr 28 | Mar 31 to Apr 14 | Jul 24 to Sep 25 | May 20 to Jun 24 |
| 6a | Apr 24 | Mar 6 to Apr 3 | Mar 27 to Apr 24 | Mar 27 to Apr 10 | Jul 28 to Sep 29 | May 16 to Jun 20 |
| 6b | Apr 20 | Mar 2 to 30 | Mar 23 to Apr 20 | Mar 23 to Apr 6 | Aug 1 to Oct 3 | May 12 to Jun 16 |
| 7a | Apr 14 | Feb 24 to Mar 24 | Mar 17 to Apr 14 | Mar 17 to 31 | Aug 4 to Oct 6 | May 6 to Jun 10 |
| 7b | Apr 3 | Feb 13 to Mar 13 | Mar 6 to Apr 3 | Mar 6 to 20 | Aug 10 to Oct 12 | Apr 25 to May 30 |
| 8a | Mar 27 | Feb 6 to Mar 6 | Feb 27 to Mar 27 | Feb 27 to Mar 13 | Aug 15 to Oct 17 | Apr 18 to May 23 |
| 8b | Mar 16 | Jan 26 to Feb 23 | Feb 16 to Mar 16 | Feb 16 to Mar 2 | Aug 22 to Oct 24 | Apr 7 to May 12 |
| 9a | Mar 3 | Jan 13 to Feb 10 | Feb 3 to Mar 3 | Feb 3 to 17 | Aug 31 to Nov 2 | Mar 25 to Apr 29 |
| 9b | Jan 31 | Dec 13 to Jan 10 | Jan 3 to 31 | Jan 3 to 17 | Sep 16 to Nov 18 | Feb 22 to Mar 29 |
Good to know about lettuce
- Finish spring plantings at least a month before hot summer weather; heat makes lettuce bolt and turn bitter.
- Sow small amounts every 2 to 3 weeks for a steady supply.
- Young plants handle temperatures near 32 F; fall crops can stay out through light frosts.
- Spacing: about 4 in. for leaf types, 6 to 8 in. for butterhead and romaine, 10 to 12 in. for crisphead.
How to plant lettuce
- Grow lettuce in loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter; heavy clay benefits from added compost.
- Keep the seedbed evenly moist until seedlings are up; steady moisture matters most while the stand is getting established.
- Thin seedlings early, when they are an inch or two tall; thinnings can be eaten or replanted.
- Lettuce roots are shallow and seedlings compete poorly, so keep weeds pulled and hoe only lightly.
- A layer of organic mulch keeps the soil cooler and holds moisture.
Types that change the timing
- Leaf lettuce is the quickest and most adaptable type; crisphead (iceberg) is the most heat-sensitive and is usually started from transplants.
- Butterhead forms small, loose heads of tender leaves, and romaine (cos) grows tall, upright heads; both fall between leaf and crisphead in difficulty.
- Slow-bolting or heat-tolerant varieties hold up better for late spring and summer sowings.
Common mistakes
- Uneven watering or drought, which makes leaves tough and causes brown, burned leaf edges (tipburn).
- Letting weeds get ahead of young lettuce, which competes poorly for water and nutrients.
When lettuce is ready
- Leaf lettuce can be picked any time leaves are big enough, before a seed stalk forms
Timing and spacing: compiled from these university extension guides, each figure checked against at least two of them:
- Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech): Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331)
- University of Georgia Extension: Home Garden Planting Chart (B577)
- Kansas State University Research and Extension: Vegetable Garden Planting Guide (MF315)
- University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Master Gardener Program: Seed Germination Temperature and Timing
- Oregon State University Extension Service: When to start seeds indoors in central Oregon
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Maine Vegetable Gardening: Keep Your Garden Growing, Plant from Spring to Fall
- Utah State University Extension: Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for the Wasatch Front
- Cornell Cooperative Extension, Warren County: Fall Planting for the Vegetable Garden
- Cornell Cooperative Extension, Rockland County: Vegetable Planting Guide
- Purdue Extension: The Fall Vegetable Garden (HO-66-W)
- University of Illinois Extension: Watch Your Garden Grow: Lettuce
- Utah State University Extension: Lettuce in the Garden
- hgic.clemson.edu
- extension.oregonstate.edu
- yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu
Frost dates: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020. General timing based on published university extension guidance and your local frost dates. Varieties and weather differ; your local extension office has the final word.