How to grow lettuce

Lettuce is a cool-season crop. Plant it early in spring or in fall, and harvest before the heat arrives.

Reviewed October 2026

Start indoors

4–5 weeks before planting out

Plant outside

3–4 weeks before last frost

Seed depth

1/8 in

Days to harvest

60–85 for heads

When to plant

Lettuce tolerates cool weather, so it goes out before your last frost. Start seeds indoors 4 to 5 weeks ahead and transplant 3 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date, or sow seed directly in the garden. A second planting in late summer gives a fall crop. The planting planner shows your spring dates.

Sowing and spacing

Lettuce seed is tiny: sow it only about 1/8 inch deep. Head types such as butterhead and romaine need 8 to 12 inches between plants. For baby salad leaves, sow thickly in a band and cut the young leaves.

Keeping it sweet

Warm temperatures make lettuce bitter and push it to flower. Harvest heads as soon as they're full, and pick baby leaves young. Freezing temperatures damage lettuce too, so cover plants on the coldest nights.

Days to harvest

Butterhead and romaine heads take about 60 to 85 days from seeding. Leaf lettuce and baby greens can be cut much sooner.

Planting dates in Florida