🥬 How to Grow Lettuce from Seed
An unimposing group of leafy plants that originated from the bitter-leaved wild lettuce, lettuce is the essential base for any successful salad, as well as the garnish of choice for sandwiches. Because lettuce is a cool-weather crop, it makes its best growth during the cooler temperatures of spring and early autumn.
- Sow Outdoors As soon as the soil can be worked in spring
- Seed Depth 3 mm deep
- Row Spacing 45 cm apart (or plant in blocks)
- Heading Leaf Spacing Thin to 30 cm apart
- Succession Planting Every 2 weeks for a continuous supply
- Sun Requirement Full Sun to Partial Shade 🌤️
🧭 Step-by-Step Culture Guide
1. 🗺️ Soil & Timing Preparation
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Soil Type: Lettuce is highly adaptable but makes its best growth on organic, well-drained soils in sunny locations.
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Timing: Begin sowing outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring.
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Coverage: One packet of lettuce seed sows approximately 6 m of row.
2. 🌱 Sowing & Succession
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Sowing: Sow seeds very shallowly, about 3 mm deep, in rows 45 cm apart. Alternatively, lettuce can be broadcast or sown in dense blocks and squares rather than traditional rows.
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Continuous Supply: To ensure a steady, continuous harvest throughout the season, sow fresh seed every two weeks until the heat of mid-summer arrives.
3. 💦 Crop Maintenance
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Moisture Control: An even, steady supply of moisture during the entire growth period is imperative for success. Dry soil will quickly stress the plants, causing the leaves to toughen.
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Thinning: If you are growing heading lettuce varieties, thin the young seedlings to a final spacing of 30 cm apart to give the heads enough room to form properly.
✂️ Harvesting Techniques & Bolting
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🥬 Leaf Lettuce: Harvest by either pulling the entire plant or by cutting individual outer leaves from the main stem at least 2.5 cm above the soil base. This “cut-and-come-again” harvesting process allows the plant to safely sprout new, tender leaves for future salads.
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🍔 Head Lettuce: Harvest head lettuce by cutting the mature head clean off at the base of the plant, just below the lower leaves.
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🛑 Watch out for Bolting: When summer temperatures rise, lettuce will naturally “bolt” (start to produce a rapidly growing central flower stem). As soon as the plant enters this reproductive phase, the leaves will become intensely bitter and unpalatable. Harvest your remaining crop before bolting occurs!