Whether you garden in the ground, in raised beds, on the windowsill, or anywhere else, lettuce is a great addition or re-addition to your plant family. Read on for simple, straightforward specifics about growing lettuce.
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Family | Container Size | Good Companions | Bad Companions | Soil Conditions | Germination | Sun | Water | Temperature Range | Height | Lifespan | Reproduction | Yield Per Plant | Ingestibility | Further Reading
What Family Does Lettuce Belong To?
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) belongs to the Asteraceae family, also known as the daisy family.
Some of its relatives include chamomile, chicory, and artichoke.
What Size Container Should I Use for Growing Lettuce?
The minimum container depth recommended for lettuce is 4 inches.
If lettuce is in a 4- or 5-inch planter, it will develop a full head and reach maturity, but the head may be on the smaller side. Some varieties such as Tom Thumb are particularly suited to smaller containers. For these dwarf or mini varieties, using a planter deeper than 4 inches will not impact the size of the head.
To get a larger head of lettuce from non-dwarf varieties, it is recommended to use a container that is at least 6 inches deep.
Learn more in our Choosing the Right Planter for Your Container Garden article here.
What Are Good Companion Plants for Lettuce?
Since lettuce is low-maintenance and not a heavy feeder, it is a good companion for most vegetables, fruits, and herbs. However, some of its best companions are as follows:
- Carrot
- Celery
- Lovage
- Cucumber
- Beet
- Broccoli, cauliflower, and other Brassicas
- Dill
- Garlic
- Onion
- Radish
- Spinach
- Orach
- Squash
- Strawberry
- Blueberry
What Are Bad Companion Plants for Lettuce?
As mentioned in the previous section, lettuce is versatile and gets along with most other plants.
An exception to this is fennel. Lettuce's growth may be stunted if grown very close to fennel due to fennel's allelopathic effects.
What Soil Conditions Does Lettuce Need?
Lettuce prefers loose, cool, and moist yet well-draining soil.
How Long Does Lettuce Take to Germinate?
Lettuce takes 7-15 days to germinate at a temperature of 35-80°F.
How Much Sun Does Lettuce Need?
Lettuce can grow in full sun to part shade.
In other words, it grows fastest in full sun. It will still grow in dappled shade or part shade, just at a slower rate.
Leafy greens like lettuce are some of the most highly recommended vegetables for part-shade gardens. But since shaded lettuce takes longer to grow, it may also be more vulnerable to pests and diseases than lettuce grown in full sun.
Sun recommendations can vary by region, and lettuces grown in hot areas or in warmer conditions than the ideal temperature range noted below may need more shade.
How Much Water Does Lettuce Need?
Lettuce needs 1-2 inches of water per week.
What Is the Ideal Temperature Range for Growing Lettuce?
Lettuce grows fastest in temperatures of 55-65°F.
This is its ideal temperature range. Although it will grow in temperatures both cooler and warmer than this range, the growth could be slower or even stunted.
Minimum and maximum temperatures will vary by variety. Some lettuces are bred for late fall harvests and others for warmer climates.
How Tall Does Lettuce Get?
The average height of lettuce is 6-12 inches.
Romaine lettuce is typically on the higher end of this range, while leaf lettuce is usually on the lower end.
Is Lettuce Annual, Biennial, or Perennial?
Lettuce is an annual vegetable, meaning that it starts and ends its life in the same year.
How Does Lettuce Reproduce?
Lettuce reproduces by seed.
How Much Lettuce is Produced Per Plant?
For lettuce, how much is produced per plant (also called the yield) largely depends on the type of lettuce and, at times, the variety.
Romaine and leaf lettuce can be harvested throughout the season by pinching the outer leaves off individually while new leaves continue to be produced from the center of the head. How many leaves a single plant produces depends on the growing conditions and the variety.
Most of my romaines and leaf lettuces yield 10-30 leaves per season.
Butterhead and crisphead lettuces such as iceberg typically produce 1 large head per season.
Can Lettuce Be Ingested?
Lettuce leaves are edible.
The liquid inside lettuce leaves, which you may notice running out the bottom when you break off a leaf, has nervine properties. Unlike with most plants that can be used in herbal preparations, these properties do not remain intact when the leaf is dried. So if you would like to use lettuce leaves in herbal preparations such as teas and tinctures, I recommend that you prepare those preparations as close to harvest as possible.
There are no known safety concerns associated with ingesting lettuce leaves.
The edibility and herbal suggestions above are based on Lactuca sativa, the lettuce vegetable that is commonly grown as a garden vegetable. They do not refer to wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa), miner's lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata), or other relatives or soundalikes.
Further Reading
This article is intended as a quick-reference guide for gardeners. Consult your seed packet or seed catalog for variety-specific information.
When you have a bumper crop of lettuce rolling in, you may not have enough time for long, complicated recipes or many-step preservation procedures. Check out my article on quick, simple uses for lettuce here!
Lettuce is featured in these Plant to Plate articles:
- Simple Uses for Lettuce
- What Does "Full Sun to Part Shade" Mean?
- Choosing the Right Planter for Your Container Garden
- What is a Plant Family?
- Gardening in Full Sun
- Gardening in Dappled Shade
- Gardening in Part Shade