When to plant lettuce
Lettuce is a cool-season crop that tolerates light frost and prefers to grow in cool weather. Sow a short row every two weeks; lettuce bolts and turns bitter in summer heat.
- Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before the last spring frost.
- Transplant outside 1–3 weeks before the last spring frost.
- Sow seeds outdoors 4 weeks before to 1 week after the last spring frost.
- For a fall crop, sow 4–8 weeks before the first fall frost.
About 45 days from planting to harvest.
Get exact dates for your garden
Planting dates by hardiness zone
| Zone | Typical last frost | Start indoors | Transplant | Fall crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2a | May 24 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 12 – Aug 9 |
| 3b | May 17 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jul 30 – Aug 27 |
| 4a | May 12 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Aug 3 – Aug 31 |
| 4b | May 8 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Aug 6 – Sep 3 |
| 5a | May 3 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Aug 10 – Sep 7 |
| 5b | May 1 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Aug 16 – Sep 13 |
| 6a | Apr 29 | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Aug 22 – Sep 19 |
| 6b | Apr 22 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | Aug 27 – Sep 24 |
| 7a | Apr 16 | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | Aug 30 – Sep 27 |
| 7b | Apr 5 | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Sep 6 – Oct 4 |
| 8a | Mar 29 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Sep 12 – Oct 10 |
| 8b | Mar 16 | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Sep 19 – Oct 17 |
| 9a | Mar 3 | Jan 6 – Jan 20 | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Sep 30 – Oct 28 |
| 9b | Feb 20 | Dec 26 – Jan 9 | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Oct 10 – Nov 7 |
| 10a | Mar 2 | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Oct 6 – Nov 3 |
Zone rows use the median frost dates of all ZIP codes in that zone. Zones measure winter cold, not season length, so two places in the same zone can have frost dates weeks apart — use your ZIP code for real dates.
When to plant lettuce in major cities
| City | Median last frost | Start indoors | Transplant | Fall crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | Mar 13 | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Sep 22 – Oct 20 |
| Portland, OR | Feb 25 | Dec 31 – Jan 14 | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Oct 6 – Nov 3 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Apr 25 | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | Aug 23 – Sep 20 |
| Denver, CO | Apr 30 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Aug 17 – Sep 14 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Apr 23 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | Aug 21 – Sep 18 |
| Chicago, IL | Apr 10 | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | Sep 10 – Oct 8 |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 27 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Aug 30 – Sep 27 |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 4 | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Sep 7 – Oct 5 |
| Columbus, OH | Apr 20 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | Aug 29 – Sep 26 |
| Boston, MA | Apr 4 | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Sep 14 – Oct 12 |
| New York, NY | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Sep 25 – Oct 23 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Sep 22 – Oct 20 |
| Washington, DC | Mar 29 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Sep 13 – Oct 11 |
| Charlotte, NC | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Sep 8 – Oct 6 |
| Nashville, TN | Apr 1 | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Sep 5 – Oct 3 |
| Atlanta, GA | Mar 25 | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Sep 14 – Oct 12 |
| Dallas, TX | Mar 2 | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Oct 4 – Nov 1 |
Growing lettuce: quick facts
| Frost tolerance | Half-hardy: tolerates light frost (about 28–32°F) |
|---|---|
| Soil temperature | at least 35°F to germinate; 40–80°F is ideal |
| Planting depth | ⅛–¼ in |
| Spacing | 8–12 in (heads), 2–4 in (leaf) |
| Germination | 7–10 days |
| Days to harvest | about 45 days from planting out |
Typical figures from university extension planting guides. Seed packets give the best numbers for a specific variety.