When to Plant Lettuce
Sow lettuce outside from 4 weeks before to 2 weeks after your last frost, and again 7 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost for a fall crop.
Lettuce at a glance
- Sow outside
- from 4 weeks before to 2 weeks after your last frost
- Fall sowing
- 7 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost
- Time to harvest
- 40 to 60 days from sowing
- Harvest lasts
- about 6 weeks
- Spacing
- 4 per square foot
- Frost
- Takes a light frost
Growing lettuce
Lettuce grows fast in cool weather and needs moist soil and a few hours of sun. Sow it thinly and barely cover the seed, which needs some light to sprout. Loose-leaf kinds are quickest; heading kinds need more time and cooler weather.
Dates by hardiness zone
Typical dates for each zone; your ZIP code gives your own.
| Zone | Sow | Sow for fall | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | Apr 30 – Jun 11 | Jul 6–27 | Jun 9 – Sep 26 |
| Zone 3b | Apr 19 – May 31 | Jul 17 – Aug 7 | May 29 – Jul 30 · Aug 26 – Oct 7 |
| Zone 4a | Apr 14 – May 26 | Jul 20 – Aug 10 | May 24 – Jul 25 · Aug 29 – Oct 10 |
| Zone 4b | Apr 10 – May 22 | Jul 23 – Aug 13 | May 20 – Jul 21 · Sep 1 – Oct 13 |
| Zone 5a | Apr 5 – May 17 | Jul 27 – Aug 17 | May 15 – Jul 16 · Sep 5 – Oct 17 |
| Zone 5b | Apr 3 – May 15 | Aug 1–22 | May 13 – Jul 14 · Sep 10 – Oct 22 |
| Zone 6a | Apr 1 – May 13 | Aug 7–28 | May 11 – Jul 12 · Sep 16 – Oct 28 |
| Zone 6b | Mar 26 – May 7 | Aug 13 – Sep 3 | May 5 – Jul 6 · Sep 22 – Nov 3 |
| Zone 7a | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | Aug 16 – Sep 6 | Apr 28 – Jun 29 · Sep 25 – Nov 6 |
| Zone 7b | Mar 8 – Apr 19 | Aug 23 – Sep 13 | Apr 17 – Jun 18 · Oct 2 – Nov 13 |
| Zone 8a | Mar 1 – Apr 12 | Aug 29 – Sep 19 | Apr 10 – Jun 11 · Oct 8 – Nov 19 |
| Zone 8b | Feb 17 – Mar 31 | Sep 4–25 | Mar 29 – May 30 · Oct 14 – Nov 25 |
| Zone 9a | Feb 2 – Mar 16 | Sep 17 – Oct 8 | Mar 14 – May 15 · Oct 27 – Dec 8 |
| Zone 9b | Jan 4 – Feb 15 | Oct 6–27 | Feb 13 – Apr 16 · Nov 15 – Dec 27 |
| Zone 10a | Dec 27 – Feb 7 | Oct 18 – Nov 8 | Feb 5 – Apr 8 · Nov 27 – Jan 8 |
| Zones 10b–11b | Frost is rare here, so grow lettuce in the cooler months, from fall to early spring. | ||
Questions about lettuce
Why does lettuce turn bitter?
Heat and long days make lettuce bolt: it sends up a flower stalk and the leaves turn bitter. Grow it in spring and fall, and pick it young.
Can I pick lettuce more than once?
Yes. Take the outer leaves of leaf lettuce and let the center keep growing, or cut the plant an inch above the soil and it often grows back for a second picking.
