Lettuce Prepare to Plan our Spring Gardening!

Lettuce is a cool-season crop that, in most regions, grows best in the spring and fall. Lettuce seedlings will even tolerate a light frost (but temperatures between 45°F and 65°F are ideal). The plants grow quite quickly, so it’s best to plant them in batches, staggering your plantings throughout the growing season to ensure you’re not faced with an over-abundance.

Before you plant your lettuce seeds, ensure that the soil is properly prepped. It should be loose and drain well so it’s moist without retaining too much water. Using Magic Dirt as a sustainable, organic alternative to traditional and peat-based potting soils will help. Our garden and raised bed soils can retain more than three times their weight in water for improved moisture control and less watering.

Tips from the Farmer’s Almanac for lettuce planting

• Direct sowing is recommended as soon as the ground can be worked. Plant seeds ½ inch deep. Snow won’t hurt them but a dry, cold wind will.
• If you want an earlier crop, you can start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before last spring frost date for an earlier crop. Harden off seedlings for about one week, and transplant outside between 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after last spring frost.
• Seeds can be sown in single rows or broadcast for wide row planting. When broadcasting, you’ll need to “thin” for the proper spacing.
  • Leaf lettuce: Plant 4 inches apart.
  • Cos and loose-headed types: Plant 8 inches apart.
  • Firm-headed types: Plant 16 inches apart.
• Your rows of plants should be 12 to 15 inches across.
• Cover the seeds with ¼ to ½ inch of soil.

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