Lettuce is one of the most rewarding crops for home gardeners. In just a few short weeks, you can be harvesting fresh, crisp lettuce leaves for salads and sandwiches. But this quick-growing veggie is also prone to some common gardening mistakes that can kill your lettuce before you get to enjoy those first spring and fall harvests.
Follow these lettuce planting tips to avoid pitfalls and end up with a bountiful lettuce patch.
Pick the Wrong Lettuce Variety
With so many types of lettuce, it can get confusing to pick the right ones for your garden. Here’s a quick guide to the most common home garden lettuce varieties:
- Looseleaf – Easy to grow, earlier harvest, ruffled leaves, moderate flavor
- Romaine – Upright heads, sturdy ribs, rich flavor
- Butterhead – Loose small heads, tender soft leaves, sweet flavor
- Crisphead – Tight compact heads, very crunchy, need longer season
We recommend starting with looseleaf and butterhead types as they are faster growing and more forgiving. Romaine is great for salads too but needs more care. Crisphead varieties like icebergs can be tricky for beginners - skip them until you get some crops under your belt!
Don’t Plant Enough
Lettuce is best enjoyed fresh. As soon as it’s cut, the plant stops producing new leaves. That’s why succession planting is so important.
For a small family, plant 6-8 plants of looseleaf or butterhead lettuce every 2-3 weeks. This ensures you’ll have a steady supply of salad greens over an extended harvest period. Don’t skimp on numbers - you’ll kick yourself later when the lettuce is gone too soon!
Ignore Proper Spacing
Lettuce needs adequate space to reach maturity. If plants are crowded, they compete for light and nutrients. This leads to stunted growth and bolting (premature flowering).
Follow seed packet guidelines for proper spacing. As a general rule, allow at least 6 inches between looseleaf plants and 8-12 inches for romaine and butterhead. You can plant in rows or blocks. Just resist cramming too many into a small space.
Skip the Mulch
Mulching around your lettuce plants keeps roots cool and moist. It also prevents weeds that compete for water. Organic mulches like leaves, straw, or grass clippings are ideal. Spread 1-2 inches around plants, leaving space near the crown. You’ll have happier, healthier lettuce that is slow to bolt.
Let Weeds Take Over
Speaking of weeds, don’t let them invade your lettuce patch. Weeds leech water and nutrients away from lettuce roots. Stay on top of weeding weekly, especially when plants are young. It takes much more effort to remove weeds once established. Keep beds weed-free with vigilance and mulch. Your lettuce will thank you!
Ignore Water Needs
Lettuce is mostly water, so consistent moisture is a must. Drought stress causes bitter flavor and bolting. Water at the base of plants, avoiding wetting the leaves. Check soil moisture every few days, watering when the top few inches are dry. About 1-1.5 inches per week is typical, adjusting for rainfall. Leaf color is a good indicator - if leaves start to wilt or turn dull, it’s time to water.
Plant in Hot Weather
Lettuce prefers cool conditions, ideally around 60-70°F. When temperatures climb over 80°F, lettuce plants bolt and turn bitter. In warm regions, grow lettuce for fall, winter and early spring harvests. Focus on heat-tolerant varieties if attempting summer crops. Providing shade with covers or timed planting also helps. But for most areas, stick to planting lettuce in the cooler parts of the year.
Crowd Seedlings
When starting lettuce from seed, it’s tempting to cram in as many as possible. But this leads to weak, spindly seedlings prone to damping off disease. Sow seeds 1/4-1/2 inch apart in rows or wide bands. Thin gradually to proper spacing. Give them room and air circulation and you’ll get stocky, robust seedlings ready to thrive when transplanted.
Bury Stems Too Deep
Lettuce seeds are tiny and only need to be covered lightly with soil. When planting starts or transplants, avoid burying the stems deeper than they grew in the seed tray. Deep planting can lead to stem rot and damping off. Check your seed packet for planting depth - usually around 1/4 inch is sufficient. Err on the shallow side and your lettuce will get off to a good start.
Ignore Pests
Lettuce is prone to attack by certain backyard pests. Be on the watch for these common culprits:
- Slugs and snails - choose resistant varieties, handpick at night, use barriers
- Rabbits - fence off beds, use deterrents like hot pepper spray
- Aphids - spray soapy water, attract beneficial insects, apply neem oil
- Cutworms - wrap stem base with foil when transplanting
Check under leaves for signs of pests. Take control measures quickly at first sightings to prevent major damage. Pay attention and you can enjoy lettuce largely pest-free.
Skip Crop Rotation
Lettuce and other greens are susceptible to soil-borne diseases that can overwinter. Rotating planting locations from year to year helps break disease cycles. Never plant lettuce in the same spot two years in a row. Make a 3-4 year rotation plan for the whole garden to improve all crops’ health. Keep notes on a garden map to remember rotations.
Neglect Fall Cleanup
As lettuce season wraps up, be sure to remove and dispose of any bolted and diseased plants. Don’t compost them. Removing all lettuce debris in fall deprives overwintering pests and disease of hosts. Fall cleanup and rotation help minimize problems of Lettuce for next year’s lettuce crops. Start each season with clean, disease-free beds.
Choose Poor Site
Lettuce thrives in fertile, well-drained soil. Pick a sunny to lightly shaded spot. Avoid planting under trees and shrubs with dense roots that compete for water. Prior to planting, work in 1-2 inches of compost to enrich soil nutrients and moisture retention. Proper site selection gives your lettuce the ideal conditions to flourish.
Harvest Too Late
For looseleaf types, selectively pick outer leaves about 4-6 weeks after planting. Removing older leaves stimulates new growth. End harvests when plants start bolting. With romaine and butterhead, cut the entire head near the soil line once it reaches maturity. Don’t leave mature lettuce in the garden too long or it will bolt and get bitter. Timely harvesting means tastier lettuce.
Let Diseases Take Hold
Even when given good care, lettuce can sometimes run into disease issues, usually caused by fungi, bacteria, or viruses. Common lettuce diseases include:
- Damping off - seedlings rot at the soil line
- Downy mildew - yellow splotches on upper leaves
- Bottom rot - rust colored spots on lower leaves
- Gray mold - fuzzy gray mold on leaves
There are no chemical controls for lettuce diseases. Prevent them with crop rotation, fall cleanup, and choosing resistant varieties. Remove and destroy diseased plants quickly to avoid spread. Start with clean seeds and disease-free soil. Proper care and vigilance keep diseases to a minimum.
Don’t Fuss Over Details
Lettuce may be easy to grow, but it still needs care and attention. Don’t take shortcuts - watch for pests, be diligent about weeding, provide consistent moisture, use preventative measures for disease, and most importantly - check on your plants frequently! Lettuce can go from seed to salad in just over a month. Stay on top of your lettuce patch and you’ll be rewarded with bumper crops. A little effort goes a long way for healthy lettuce.
Grow lettuce this season and avoid these common pitfalls. Follow the tips above and you can look forward to fresh, homegrown salads before you know it! Just take care of the details and your lettuce will thrive. Those first spring lettuce harvests will taste all the sweeter when you know how to grow this garden staple successfully. Lettuce is truly one of the easiest and most gratifying vegetables for gardeners of any experience level to grow. You can learn more about vegetable files or food gardening from our website.
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