Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
Cool‑season · frost‑tolerant · direct sow
40–70 days from seed to harvest
Lettuce is a cool-season leafy vegetable in the daisy family that tolerates light frost. The usual start is direct sowing, and harvest is about 40–70 days from sowing (about 6 to 10 weeks).
Primary method: direct sow
Lettuce is usually sown outdoors. Calendar dates for your garden are on the when-to-plant page after you choose a place.
- Sow outside. Sow seed outdoors. Germination typically takes 4–10 days.
- Grow to harvest. The harvest clock starts when you sow seed. 40–70 days from sowing (about 6 to 10 weeks).
Time to harvest
Ready to harvest about 6 to 10 weeks after sowing.
- Sow
- Sprouting
- Growing
- Harvest, earliest to latest
Dates for your area: When to plant lettuce This guide has no calendar dates; they depend on your place.
Other start methods
Starting indoors is not the usual method for this plant.
Care basics
Sun: full sun to part shade, at least 6 hours of direct sun.
This plant tolerates light frost.
Types and varieties
Other names: Garden lettuce, Romaine, Butterhead, Iceberg, Cos, Leaf lettuce, Oakleaf. Variety groups are not listed here.
Growing facts
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Plant name | Lettuce |
| Scientific name | Lactuca sativa |
| Family | Asteraceae (daisy family) |
| Time to harvest | 40–70 days from sowing (about 6 to 10 weeks) |
| Days to germinate | 4–10 days |
| Ideal growing temperature | 15 – 21 °C |
| Minimum tolerable temperature | 4 °C |
| Maximum tolerable temperature | 27 °C |
| Start indoors | Not the usual method |
| Direct sow | Yes, usual method |
| Season type | Cool-season, tolerates light frost |
| Typical start method | Direct sow |
| Light | full sun to part shade, 6+ hours direct sun |
Glossary
- Ideal temperature
- The preferred daytime range for good growth.
- Tolerable temperature
- A wider range where the plant can still grow, less optimally.
- Harden off
- Gradually acclimating indoor seedlings to outdoor conditions before transplanting.
- Transplant
- Moving seedlings into the garden.
- Days to harvest
- The usual time to harvest, counted from the start point named beside the number (seed, transplant, or planting).
Related
No other plants in this family are in the catalog.