How To Grow Lettuce From Seed

Ground Prep

Lettuce can be sown either indoors or outdoors. If you’re sowing outdoors, choose a warm, sunny spot, as lettuces grow best in warm conditions, with moisture-retentive soil. Deweed the area thoroughly and ensure the soil is fertile by adding a good amount of garden compost. Ensure the soil is raked until it’s fine and that any large stones are removed.

Sowing

How to Sow Lettuce Seeds

Sow a short row every fortnight to ensure continuity of cropping. Sow seed thinly 1.5cm (half-inch) deep in rows 30cm (12in) apart. 

Start thinning as soon as the first true leaves appear and continue as necessary while the plants develop. Take alternate plants, allowing the remainder to grow on. If you water the soil the day before thinning and do it carefully, the thinned-out plants can be replanted, properly spaced at the end of the row, and will give a slightly later crop. Otherwise, the thinning can be used in salads.

When to Sow Lettuce Seeds

The time of sowing depends on the variety and when the crop is wanted, but generally, for a summer or autumn crop, sow outdoors from late March to early August.

Sowing Lettuce for Early Spring

For an even earlier crop, sow indoors in early February and plant out in early March under cloches or plastic that have been in place for a couple of weeks to pre-warm the soil.

Sowing Lettuce for Winter

For an early winter crop, sow outdoors in early August and cover the plants with closed cloches in late September. For a midwinter crop, sow in a heated greenhouse in September and October and grow on in the greenhouse. 

Sowing Lettuce for Spring

For a spring crop, sow a variety, such as Lettuce Winter Density seeds, from August onwards, either in a cold greenhouse or outside under garden cloches in mild areas.

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Planting

Generally, lettuce plants that are started indoors are best transferred outdoors once the risk of frost has passed or anytime throughout the summer. Before doing so, you should harden them off, gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over the course of a couple of weeks.

How far you should space your plants will depend on what variety you grow. However, the seed packet of your chosen variety will tell you what distance this should be. Be sure to stick to these measurements, as lettuces grown too closely together won’t form desirable hearts.

If you’re growing your lettuce in a container, ensure that your container is at least 30cm (12in) wide and deep, filled with multi-purpose compost and grown in a full sun spot.

Plant Care

Watering

Water your lettuce when the soil is dry to ensure it remains moist; the best time to water is early morning. Ensure you especially make an effort to water your lettuces while they are young or newly transplanted and when the weather is warm. Plants grown in containers may dry out quicker, so continue watering your lettuce to keep the soil moist.

Keeping your plants watered regularly means that your plants will be less prone to bolting (flowering). This can lead your lettuce to taste bitter and become inedible. So, regular watering and either growing them in light shade in hotter months or moving them out of the midday sun if in containers is important.

Mulching

Adding a layer of mulch, such as garden compost, is a useful step to help your plants better retain moisture in the soil and prevent it from drying out.

Weeding

Keep your growing area free of weeds, as this prevents your lettuce plants from competing with other plants for resources.

How to Harvest Lettuce

Generally, lettuce is ready when a firm heart has formed, which should be at around 10 weeks. The exception to this is the loose-leaf varieties, where leaves are harvested as and when needed from around six weeks onwards. It is best to take just a few leaves from each plant, allowing them to grow on with minimal disturbance. It's also best to cut in the morning when the plants will be at their freshest.

You should eat your lettuce as soon as possible after harvesting, as their leaves will go limp. However, they can be stored in the fridge for several days if needed.

Problems

Lettuce is generally easy to grow, though it can be known to face a couple of problems. Below are the most common problems experienced when growing lettuce and how to either prevent or solve them:

  • Sparrows -Early in the year, sparrows can be a problem as they find young lettuce plants irresistible. So, you should protect your lettuce withfleece for plants, chicken wire or similar.
  • High temperatures - High soil temperatures in summer can prevent some varieties from germinating. To avoid this, water with cold water and provide some shade to keep cool during hot periods.
  • Slugs and snails - Slugs and snails are common pests for lettuces, so attacks can be prevented or resolved using slug and snail control products
  • Aphids - Aphids are known to feed off lettuce leaves, particularly soft leaves. So, be sure to check your plants for any aphids and either squash them or wash them off with a strong spray of water.
  • Bolting - Lettuce plants will produce flowers if left in hot, dry weather, which will make leaves taste bitter. To avoid this, ensure your plants are regularly watered in warm weather, grown in light shade in summer and that the soil is mulched.
  • Diseases - Lettuce can be affected by several fungal diseases, such as grey mould or downy mildew. These can be prevented by ensuring good air circulation between plants and avoiding getting leaves wet when watering.

Shop Lettuce Seeds and Plants at D.T. Brown

Now that you know how to grow lettuce from seed, you can get started on growing many different varieties to explore a range of flavours, textures and colours and enrich your home cooking. For quality cultivars of lettuce seeds and lettuce plants, you can find a fantastic collection at D.T. Brown. We have over a century of experience in providing UK gardeners with vigorously growing seeds and plants, so we couldn’t be a better place to shop!

If you’re eager to find out how to grow more delicious produce from your home, you can find many more growing guides for a mix of different vegetables and fruits on our garden blog.

For more information about our selection of fruit seeds, vegetable seeds, herb seeds, or anything else we have in our huge collection, contact us today and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Pim Dickson

Plant Expert

When Pim joined D.T. Brown, it was originally as a seed buyer, but now as our planting & sowing expert, he’s responsible for all horticultural and technical content, sharing his expertise in this catalogue, and through the growing advice and tips on our seed packets.

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Guide Chapters

Guide Chapters

  • Ground Preparation
  • Sowing
  • Planting
  • Plant Care
  • Harvesting
  • Problems

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