No backyard garden would be complete without some form of lettuce. There’s nothing better than being able to walk outside and harvest a few leaves of lettuce whenever you fancy a salad or sandwich.

Not just rabbit food, lettuce is a great source of Vitamins A and K contributing to healthy skin, bones, and eyes as well as improved sleep and it’s also a fantastic source of folate which is essential during pregnancy. Lettuce is also very easy to grow making it an ideal place to start for beginners.

Australian yellow leaf lettuce

When to grow lettuce

Lettuce loves soil temperatures of around 23°C or 74°F to germinate from seed and doesn’t like to get too hot throughout the lifespan of the plant. Ideal air temperatures for lettuce are 10-25°C or 50-77°F. For this reason, if you are in a temperate climate, you may be able to grow lettuce all year round whereas those of us in warmer climates are best to avoid growing in the heat of summer as the lettuce will ‘bolt’ or ‘go to seed’, not taste so good, and become a target for pests.

Lettuce varieties

Lettuce comes in a huge array of varieties from green to red/purple, heads to loose-leaf, curly to flat. The hard part is resisting the urge to plant them all! Here are a few varieties you might like to consider:

· All year round – a classic, green, loose-leaf variety

· Little gem/Romaine – a mini-Cos variety with small heads

· Parris Island Cos – a Cos variety that can be planted close together to keep them small or further apart to grow up to 30cm/12 inches tall

· Oakleaf – heat-resistant and long-standing, curly, loose-leaf variety that comes in either red or green

· Iceberg – a classic, crisp, head-producing variety

· Buttercrunch – a classic, soft, buttery variety that grows particularly well in cooler climates

Lettuce seedlings, var. lollo rossa

How to grow lettuce from seeds

You can direct sow your lettuce seeds into the garden bed you want to grow them in or alternatively, you can plant in seed trays and transplant easily which will allow you to better control the conditions for the seeds and seedlings.

Sow the seeds around 3mm or around quarter of an inch deep and very lightly cover them over with soil or vermiculite before giving them a light water. Continue to water frequently to keep the soil moist but not wet.

Seedlings will begin to emerge around 7-14 days after planting.

How to grow lettuce from seedlings

Lettuce being a leafy green means it uses up a lot of nitrogen in the soil so preparing your garden bed with plenty of good quality soil and fertiliser is a great place to start.

Location is important as your lettuce loves full sun or part shade and if you tend to get long, hot days, you may want to utilise a slightly shady area of your garden to protect it.

Raised garden beds are perfect for growing lettuce in – it ensures good drainage, and you can fill them with quality soil. Birdies garden beds [LINK to discount codes] are Mark’s raised beds of choice.

Plant out each seedling according to the instructions for the variety that you’ve chosen ensuring you do so either first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon to give your transplanted seedling the best opportunity to get established before it gets too warm. Lightly water the seedling in with a seaweed solution such as the Plant Doctor’s Seaweed Secrets (use SSME10 for 10% off your order) to minimise transplant shock.

Water is vital to lush, healthy-looking lettuce – keeping up the water to them, especially on warmer days is essential.

If you see leaves looking wilted and flat, that is a sign that they need more water. It can happen quickly so as soon as you notice it, be sure to give your lettuce a good watering and they will soon perk back up. Provided this isn’t happening too often, the wilting won’t harm the plant long term.

Freckles lettuce, a loose-leaf variety

How long does lettuce take to grow?

Most varieties of lettuce grow quickly and will reach full maturity in 50-75 days.

When to harvest lettuce

Loose-leaf varieties can be harvested anytime, even as microgreens! It’s a good idea to let the plant grow a bit first so that it is established and can continue to grow. Once you’ve got a reasonable number of leaves, you can start to harvest a few here and there and then once the plant is properly established, harvest as often as possible to encourage more growth and prevent bolting.

Hearting varieties of lettuce are a little bit different as you’ll want to wait for the head to form and then harvest once it’s fully grown although you can cut the head off the stem and leave the plant to continue growing some loose leaves.

Mark’s top tips for growing lettuce

Hearting varieties (like iceberg) are best grown in cooler climates. Grow loose leaf, cut and come again types in warmer regions or if you want longer harvests. A fortnightly liquid feed of fertiliser or seaweed will help keep the plants growing strong.

You may also want to check out Mark’s videos for more tips: “ 5 Tips How to Grow a Ton of Salad in Just One Raised Garden Bed or Container” “5 Veggies that Grow Faster than Grass” “Don’t Pay $12 dollars for a Head of Lettuce”

How did you go growing lettuce?

Mark and the Self Sufficient Me team love hearing about your growing success so leave a comment and a photo below to let us know how you went growing lettuce.

If you had some trouble growing lettuce or simply want to pick Mark’s brain about your self-sufficiency goals or projects, you may want to consider becoming a patron for exclusive content and email access for less than a restaurant meal each month!