About Lettuce

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You can start head or cos lettuce indoors four to six weeks before the last frost date; try three small sowings at weekly intervals, and set out the seedling batches successively as soon as the ground is workable. At that time, sow some seeds of the same varieties directly in the garden. The soil must be at least 35°F for germination, which should occur in six to 12 days.

This is the time, too, to plant quick-growing leaf-lettuce seeds—either repeating the procedure at 10-day to two-week intervals, or sowing all your leaf lettuce at once and harvesting the outside leaves as the plants grow.

As the weather warms up, make new lettuce plantings in shadier locations (shade cloth can work wonders), and utilize some of the newer heat-resistant summer varieties that are less likely to bolt—particularly if given plenty of water.

For an autumn harvest, switch, in midsummer, back to the heading or cos types, making successive sowings. (Again, shade cloth helps seeds germinate and keeps the soil moist.) Harvest those that mature before the first frost, and—in milder climates—protect immature lettuce heads under glass or plastic for winter harvesting. In colder areas, move immature plants to a greenhouse or to sunny windows for winter and early spring eating, or sow fresh seeds in indoor containers.

When garden space is limited, lettuce can be intercropped with slower-growing vegetables, such as beets, carrots, cabbage or, for shade, corn. Or use it as a "catch crop," planting in areas that are temporarily available before sowing or after harvesting other vegetables.

Wherever lettuce is grown, it needs a humus-rich, moisture-holding, but well-drained, soil abundant in leaf-producing nitrogen. In the fall, many gardeners spade in a pound of fresh manure per square foot, letting it age over winter for spring planting. Some merely mix in aged manure and compost just before sowing their seeds. (Blood meal is another favorite fertilizer.) The pH content should be 6.5 to 7.0, so work in lime if necessary.

Indoors or out, sow the tiny seeds only 1/4-inch deep and as thinly as possible. Leave 18 inches between rows. Since lettuce needs a little light to germinate, some gardeners broadcast the seeds and rake over enough soil to barely cover them.

A small seed packet generally plants a 100-foot row, which will produce approximately 80 heads, or about 50 pounds of leaf lettuce. Germination rate is more than 80%, and seeds remain viable for five to six years. Lettuce, however, needs cool temperatures to germinate. Therefore, if the earth is very warm, presprout the seeds for five days in the refrigerator on wet blotting paper, or mix them with a little moist peat moss and perlite.

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