PLANT TYPE: Annual
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lactuca sativa
LIGHT: Full Sun in spring/fall, partial shade in summer
SOIL TYPE: Rich, well-drained, loose loam.
pH RANGE: 6.2 - 6.8
MOISTURE/WATERING: Moist
MATURITY IN DAYS: 45 - 55
KNOWN PESTS: slugs, aphids, plant bugs and leaf hoppers
OVERVIEW:
Leaf and Romaine Lettuce grows best in a well-worked soil that is not to wet. This can sometimes be difficult to achieve when the ground is very moist in the early part of the season. Lettuce seed won't germinate when soil and air are hot, so a good way to start would be starting lettuce in hot beds and then transplanted outside.
Use these lettuce thinnings in the first spring salad. Successive plantings will ensure lettuce through the entire season. Be sure to keep lettuce bed evenly moist and harvest regularly to keep lettuce plants from bolting and becoming bitter.
PROPAGATION / SOWING OF LEAF LETTUCE:
Direct seed head lettuce in early spring, as seed will germinate between 40-80°F. Sowing thinly ¼” and 1” apart.
LETTUCE SPACING:
Leaf lettuce types - 6” apart with 12” rows; Iceberg lettuce - 12” apart with 18” row spacing; Romaine lettuce - 8-10” apart with 12-16” rows Butterhead/Batavia lettuce - 10-12” apart with 12” row spacing. Start lettuce transplants indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost date for transplants. Make succession plantings every 1-2 weeks to ensure a constant harvest.
COMPANION PLANTING FOR LEAF LETTUCE:
Head Lettuce does well with most vegetables, carrot, garlic, onion and radish make the best companions.
CARE & GROWING LEAF LETTUCE:
Choose an area with full sun to partial shade and a soil pH of 6.2-6.8. Lettuce is a heavy feeder and prefers a rich, well cultivated soil with good drainage. Some success can be expected even in poor soils using the loose-leaf lettuce types. Add plenty of compost or well rotted manure prior to planting lettuce. lettuce benefits from regular feedings with a nitrogen rich fertilizer. Mulching is useful to keep soil cool and reduce weeds.
HARVESTING LEAF LETTUCE:
Harvest lettuce early in the morning after dew is evaporated. Looseleaf types can be picked as soon as leaves are large enough to eat.
