Vegetable · Leafy
Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
A fast, cool-season salad green grown for tender leaves or loose heads. Bolts and turns bitter in sustained summer heat, so it's best as a spring or fall crop in most climates.
At a glance
Water
Medium
20–32 fl oz/wk
Light
Full sun
6–10 hrs/day
Space
Small
10 in
To maturity
30–70 days
Edible parts: Leaves
Family: Aster
A huge family including lettuce, sunflowers, and marigolds. Recognizable by composite flower heads made of many tiny florets packed together.
Harvest
Cut outer leaves as they reach usable size for a continuous harvest, or cut the whole head at once once it feels full.
Growing conditions
- Temperature
- 45–75 °F
- Soil pH
- 6–6.8
- Soil type
- Fertile, loose, well-draining loam rich in organic matter
- Climate
- Cool-season; bolts and turns bitter in sustained heat above about 75-80°F.
- Growing season
- Early spring and again in late summer/fall; avoid the peak of summer in most climates.
- Nitrogen
- Medium (≈40–80 ppm)
- Humidity
- Medium (≈40–70 %)
- Planting unit
- Seedling
- Feeding schedule
- Light, regular feeding supports continuous leaf growth; avoid heavy nitrogen right before bolting weather.
- Pest resistance
- Moderate
- Pests
- Aphids: Small, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new growth and undersides of leaves, sucking sap and excreting sticky honeydew., Slugs and snails: Molluscs that rasp ragged holes in leaves and leave a slime trail, mostly feeding at night in damp conditions.
- Pruning
- None beyond harvesting outer leaves.
Where it grows
- Container / PotIdeal— 6-8in pot depth is enough for shallow roots.
- HydroponicIdeal— One of the easiest crops for Kratky and NFT systems.
- In-Ground GardenIdeal
- Raised BedIdeal
- WindowsillPossible— Needs 6+ hours of light; grow light recommended indoors.
- Vertical / TrellisNot recommended— No climbing or vining habit.
Companions & antagonists
No known companion pairings yet.
Sources
- Growing lettuce, endive and radicchio in home gardens — University of Minnesota Extension
- How Much Should I Plant? Vegetable Yields Per Plant — Bonnie Plants