- Hardiness
- Grown as a yearly crop in every zone
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Average, about an inch a week
- Size
- 6 to 12 in
- Days to harvest
- 30 to 60
- Start indoors
- 4 weeks before planting out
Growing tip. Sow a short row every two weeks in spring and again in late summer. Heat makes it bolt and turn bitter.
When to plant lettuce by zone
| Zone | Median last / first frost | When to plant |
|---|---|---|
| 3b | May 16 / Sep 25 | Plant outside: Apr 18 to May 2 Start seeds indoors: around Mar 21 Fall crop: Jul 31 to Aug 28 |
| 4a | May 12 / Sep 28 | Plant outside: Apr 14 to Apr 28 Start seeds indoors: around Mar 17 Fall crop: Aug 3 to Aug 31 |
| 4b | May 8 / Oct 1 | Plant outside: Apr 10 to Apr 24 Start seeds indoors: around Mar 13 Fall crop: Aug 6 to Sep 3 |
| 5a | May 3 / Oct 5 | Plant outside: Apr 5 to Apr 19 Start seeds indoors: around Mar 8 Fall crop: Aug 10 to Sep 7 |
| 5b | May 1 / Oct 10 | Plant outside: Apr 3 to Apr 17 Start seeds indoors: around Mar 6 Fall crop: Aug 15 to Sep 12 |
| 6a | Apr 29 / Oct 16 | Plant outside: Apr 1 to Apr 15 Start seeds indoors: around Mar 4 Fall crop: Aug 21 to Sep 18 |
| 6b | Apr 22 / Oct 22 | Plant outside: Mar 25 to Apr 8 Start seeds indoors: around Feb 25 Fall crop: Aug 27 to Sep 24 |
| 7a | Apr 16 / Oct 25 | Plant outside: Mar 19 to Apr 2 Start seeds indoors: around Feb 19 Fall crop: Aug 30 to Sep 27 |
| 7b | Apr 5 / Nov 1 | Plant outside: Mar 8 to Mar 22 Start seeds indoors: around Feb 8 Fall crop: Sep 6 to Oct 4 |
| 8a | Mar 29 / Nov 7 | Plant outside: Mar 1 to Mar 15 Start seeds indoors: around Feb 1 Fall crop: Sep 12 to Oct 10 |
| 8b | Mar 16 / Nov 14 | Plant outside: Feb 16 to Mar 2 Start seeds indoors: around Jan 19 Fall crop: Sep 19 to Oct 17 |
| 9a | Mar 2 / Nov 26 | Plant outside: Feb 2 to Feb 16 Start seeds indoors: around Jan 5 Fall crop: Oct 1 to Oct 29 |
| 9b | Feb 1 / Dec 9 | Plant outside: Jan 4 to Jan 18 Start seeds indoors: around Jan 1 Fall crop: Oct 14 to Nov 11 |
Zones 10 and warmer have little or no frost. There, plant cool-season plants in fall and warm-season plants from late winter.
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Frequently asked questions
What zone does lettuce grow in?
Lettuce is grown fresh each year, so it fits every zone. What changes is when you plant. Find your zone by ZIP code.
How much sun does lettuce need?
Full sun to part shade. Full sun means at least six hours of direct sun a day; part shade means about three to six.
Hardiness ranges, light and size are typical figures from university extension services and botanic garden plant records; a named variety can differ, so check its tag. Planting dates come from each zone's median frost dates (NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals) and the timing rules in how we check.