Lettuce is a very hardy vegetable that grows well in several regions, and this is what makes it such a popular crop. Whether you're a fan of romaine, or if you're more of an iceberg lettuce type of person, our step-by-step guide will tell you exactly how to cultivate this delicious vegetable. You’ll learn how to grow lettuce from seed and how to harvest lettuce.

Things You'll Need

• Lettuce Seeds

• Soil

• Seed Trays

• Newspaper

• Fertilizer

• Shovel and Hoe

Planting

1. Purchase seed trays from the store, or you can make your own with old egg cartons four to six weeks before the last spring frost. Mix your soil and a small amount of water in a bowl. You want your soil to be moist and not soaked all of the way through. Fill your seed trays with your soil until they're a half of an inch (1 cm) from the top lip.

2. Lettuce seeds contain all of the nutrients they need to germinate so you can get away with planting them in a soil-less growing medium if you prefer. For this medium, mix milled sphagnum moss, perlite, and vermiculite and place them in your seed trays instead of soil.

3. Scatter your lettuce seeds equally along the top of your seed trays then gently press them into your growing medium. This will give them plenty of time to germinate and sprout before you transplant them outdoors.

4. Water your newly planted lettuce seeds, and put your seed tray in a spot where it's going to get a decent amount of bright sunlight each day. Don't ever let your soil dry out. You can place newspaper over the tray to help it retain heat and moisture. Keep your newspaper moist at all times as well.

5. Water and watch your seeds, and you should see them start to sprout. The earliest you can safely plant them outdoors is two weeks before the last spring thaw date. Harden off your seedlings before you transplant them. You do this by setting them outside in a sheltered area for a short amount of time one to three days before you transplant them.

6. Prepare your soil by taking your shovel or your roto-tiller and digging up a patch of earth that gets a good amount of sunlight. At this point, you can work your compost mix of choice into the soil. Dig down at least 3 inches (8 cm) and ensure that your compost is mixed well.

7. Make rows in your freshly tilled earth. They only need to be about 2 inches (5 cm) deep because you just want to cover your lettuce seedling's root ball. Measure out 16 inches (40.6 cm) between your lettuce seedlings in your rows and mark them off.

8. Lift your lettuce seedlings gently from their trays and place them in your holes. Back-fill the holes and gently pat the soil in around your seedling's root ball. When they're all planted, water them thoroughly.

Growing

Now that your lettuce seedlings are in the ground, you can concentrate on growing a healthy crop. Water your lettuce seedlings every other day to ensure that the soil stays moist. It's best to water them in the early morning hours so they can soak up the water all day.

Fertilize your lettuce three weeks after you plant them in the ground. It is a good idea to use something like Alfalfa Meal or a fertilizer that has a high nitrogen content as this will give your lettuce the support it needs to grow rapidly.

Weed your lettuce patch every few days. Any weeds will compete with your lettuce seedling's roots for space, so it's best to weed often. You don't want to lose your lettuce crop because of too many weeds choking them out.

Harvesting

Watch for your lettuce to grow until it looks like the leaves you'd see and purchase from the store. Cut the leaves away as they mature with a pair of scissors or with a harvest knife. These are ready to eat and by cutting the leaves but leaving the plant intact, you're getting more out of each plant. Also, harvest your lettuce in the morning to keep the 'crispness' it acquired overnight.

Two to three weeks after you cut the first leaves, it's time to harvest the entire head of lettuce. Cut the head away from the stem and store it in your refrigerator. It'll keep for up to 10 days.

Common Problems

Slugs

Garden slugs love to eat lettuce leaves, and you'll notice a slimy trail on your lettuce along with the chewed leaves. You can reduce the number of slugs your garden has by cleaning away any debris. If they don't have places to hide, they'll move on.

Bolting

Bolting is a common problem that will cause your lettuce leaves to wilt, and it can give the entire head of lettuce a very bitter taste. This is caused by too hot of temperatures, and you can help prevent it by giving your lettuce some shade to cool down its growing environment.

Aphids

These small pests will eat your lettuce leaves if you don't treat them. They're typically yellow to light green, and they leave a sticky residue on the lettuce. You can try spraying them with water or using a natural insecticide to get rid of them.

Bottom Rot

If your soil doesn't drain well, your lettuce could develop bottom rot. This manifests as dark brown splotches on your lettuce's base, and it can quickly spread to the rest of your crop. Add compost to your soil to ensure that it drains well.

Fun Trivia

• The Ancient Egyptians cultivated lettuce as early as 6,000 years ago

• Almost 50% of the world's supply of lettuce is grown in China

• Every year, the average American consumes 33 pounds of lettuce

• Lettuce can't be canned or frozen due to its 95% water content

Videos

Here are some very helpful videos you can watch as a beginner gardener.

How to grow lettuce from seeds in your garden

If you don’t have a big plot of land, you can still grow this crispy veggie and have a healthy salad for your meals. This amazing video shows exactly how you can grow lettuce from inside your home.

How to grow lettuce from seeds indoors

Now that you know how to grow lettuce and how to harvest lettuce, you can add this hardy vegetable into your garden rotation.

Learn More Gardening Skills