Growing Lettuce

lactuca sativa : Asteraceae / the daisy family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
P P P P P       P P P P

(Best months for growing Lettuce in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden, or start in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 46°F and 81°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 8 - 12 inches apart
  • Harvest in 8-12 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Carrots, Onions, Strawberries, Beets, Brassicas, Radish, Marigold, Borage, Chervil, Florence fennel, leeks.
  • Avoid growing close to: Parsley, Celery

Your comments and tips

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02 Oct 19, Anon (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
As it says here read the packet for when to plant. Generally the open (not heading) type are better for summer, butter head or butter crunch etc. Try and provide some shade during the day, in the sun in the morning in the shade in the afternoon or shade cloth frame. .
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09 Oct 19, anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have found it best to raise seedlings and plant lettuces and similar salad crops on the East side of house below the eaves. They get early morning sun until about 11am and then they are in shade or indirect sun. Everything thrives. I just recently put green shadecloth around raised garden be for the same reason as last year everything dried out too easily and required daily soaking. in the present drought I think I might be ok with these two precautions for spring-summer crops.
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20 Aug 19, Graham (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi I'm totally new to any kind of growing and am currently experimenting with a hydroponic setup But having trouble getting lettuce seeds started. Had no problems with previous 3 attempts but this time the seeds are doing nothing. Not sure if its the time of year or something else........ Any advice would be appreciated GD
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21 Aug 19, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Wait until this present cold weather passes and we have warmer nights. With spring only a week or two away temps should start to rise a bit, then try again. Lettuce need light to germinate. Keep soil moist and use a fine light watering.
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15 Aug 19, Karen (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Can you get Butter Lettuce seed in Australia? I'm find it hard to find or is it known by another name
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18 Aug 19, Nicole (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Karen, I recently bought Butter lettuce seeds from my local Bunnings! And have had great crops right through winter, just direct sew into garden and pick young leaves to thin them out. I'm in Perth. Regards Nicole
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16 Aug 19, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It is called buttercrunch lettuce. Try BOONDIE seeds on the internet.
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19 Aug 19, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My apologies - I looked up Boondie seeds and they also have butterhead - there may be more. A suggestion - line a Styrofoam box with some paper or shade cloth on the bottom and fill with soil/potting mix/compost and plant the seeds very close - like 100-200 seeds. Water very carefully until they germinate and keep moist. When they grow you can just trim a few off above the heart of the plant and then let them regrow. Just cut enough at a time for a meal or 3.
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30 Jul 19, karen spenser (Australia - temperate climate)
can llettuse grow neer a potato and can you put camicals on it and feed it to your kids
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08 Aug 18, Ntokozo ntuli (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
Is it not good to plant iceberg lettuce in summer? Please give me some advices on iceberg lettuce.
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Showing 51 - 60 of 259 comments
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Hi Tara, the planting guide says you can plant lettuce in the garden now but how well it does may depend on where you are located and how hot your weather will be. I had a similar dilemma because I live in SW Qld and we have really hot long summers. I tried sowing some seeds in January but they didn't germinate and I read in a gardening book that they will not germinate in temps over 28 degrees. The same book also mentioned that it is possible to germinate lettuces in the fridge so that is what I have done :-D. I now have cute little lettuce seedlings almost ready to plant into the garden (2 loose leaf varieties) and after a couple of cooler days in the last week I have found some of my previous lettuces have self seeded and I have more plants coming up in the garden! I guess i will find out if they survive or not! The biggest danger in the hot temps is that the plants may go to seed quickly meaning less lettuce to eat. If planting lettuces this time of year it is important to give them plenty of shade and lots of water on the hot days. If the plants still go to seed quickly it may be just too hot for them and you can learn for next year. As far as which varieties to choose you should avoid heading lettuces like icebergs because I have heard you won't get a good head on them if it is too hot. I am not an expert - I have only been growing veg for about a year - but you should consider doing what I did and buy some mixed lettuce seedlings from your nearest garden shop and keeping the seeds from the varieties you like the best! Alternatively if any of your friends grow their own you can ask them for a taste or any spare seeds. If you already have some seeds you can always give them a try and see what works best!! If there are any more experienced gardeners out there feel free to correct me if I am wrong!

- Kt

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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