When to plant Lettuce
Fast, forgiving salad green for spring and fall. Loose-leaf types let you pick outer leaves for weeks; head types need more room and cooler weather. Heat makes it bolt and turn bitter, so it's a shoulder-season staple.
Companions: Carrot, radish, strawberry — a good filler between slow crops
How to grow Lettuce
Lettuce is best direct-sown straight into the garden, as it dislikes being transplanted. Give it full sun to part shade and space plants about 8 inches apart. It takes roughly 45 days from planting to its first harvest, so count that against your frost dates to be sure it can finish. It also supports a fall sowing for a second harvest. Classic companions include carrot, radish, strawberry — a good filler between slow crops.
Grower's tip: A cool-season crop. Sow early and again in late summer for fall; it bolts in summer heat.
When to plant Lettuce by USDA zone
Timing shifts with your climate — the same lettuce goes in weeks earlier in a mild zone than a cold one. Find your zone below for its planting window, or open that zone's full calendar.
| Zone | When to plant |
|---|---|
| Zone 1a | Direct sow outdoors May 18–Jun 15 Direct sow outdoors Jun 20–Jul 4 |
| Zone 1b | Direct sow outdoors May 13–Jun 10 Direct sow outdoors Jun 25–Jul 9 |
| Zone 2a | Direct sow outdoors May 8–Jun 5 Direct sow outdoors Jun 30–Jul 14 |
| Zone 2b | Direct sow outdoors May 2–May 30 Direct sow outdoors Jul 7–Jul 21 |
| Zone 3a | Direct sow outdoors Apr 27–May 25 Direct sow outdoors Jul 14–Jul 28 |
| Zone 3b | Direct sow outdoors Apr 22–May 20 Direct sow outdoors Jul 18–Aug 1 |
| Zone 4a | Direct sow outdoors Apr 17–May 15 Direct sow outdoors Jul 24–Aug 7 |
| Zone 4b | Direct sow outdoors Apr 12–May 10 Direct sow outdoors Jul 28–Aug 11 |
| Zone 5a | Direct sow outdoors Apr 7–May 5 Direct sow outdoors Aug 6–Aug 20 |
| Zone 5b | Direct sow outdoors Apr 2–Apr 30 Direct sow outdoors Aug 10–Aug 24 |
| Zone 6a | Direct sow outdoors Mar 24–Apr 21 Direct sow outdoors Aug 22–Sep 5 |
| Zone 6b | Direct sow outdoors Mar 18–Apr 15 Direct sow outdoors Aug 30–Sep 13 |
| Zone 7a | Direct sow outdoors Mar 10–Apr 7 Direct sow outdoors Sep 7–Sep 21 |
| Zone 7b | Direct sow outdoors Mar 4–Apr 1 Direct sow outdoors Sep 15–Sep 29 |
| Zone 8a | Direct sow outdoors Feb 22–Mar 22 Direct sow outdoors Sep 23–Oct 7 |
| Zone 8b | Direct sow outdoors Feb 15–Mar 15 Direct sow outdoors Sep 30–Oct 14 |
| Zone 9a | Direct sow outdoors Jan 31–Feb 28 Direct sow outdoors Oct 10–Oct 24 |
| Zone 9b | Direct sow outdoors Jan 18–Feb 15 Direct sow outdoors Oct 20–Nov 3 |
| Zone 10a | Direct sow outdoors Jan 3–Jan 31 Direct sow outdoors Nov 2–Nov 16 |
| Zone 10b | Direct sow outdoors Dec 18–Jan 15 Direct sow outdoors Nov 5–Nov 19 |
| Zone 11a | Direct sow outdoors Dec 4–Jan 1 Direct sow outdoors Nov 5–Nov 19 |
| Zone 11b | Direct sow outdoors Dec 4–Jan 1 Direct sow outdoors Nov 5–Nov 19 |
| Zone 12a | Direct sow outdoors Dec 4–Jan 1 Direct sow outdoors Nov 5–Nov 19 |
| Zone 12b | Direct sow outdoors Dec 4–Jan 1 Direct sow outdoors Nov 5–Nov 19 |
| Zone 13a | Direct sow outdoors Dec 4–Jan 1 Direct sow outdoors Nov 5–Nov 19 |
| Zone 13b | Direct sow outdoors Dec 4–Jan 1 Direct sow outdoors Nov 5–Nov 19 |