Collection: Lettuce Plants

Lettuce likes to be planted in slightly cooler temperatures, so the best times of year are early spring for summer crops or early autumn for winter crops. You can plant in succession throughout the summer for a constant supply, as lettuce grows very quickly.

Lettuce does best in a rich, well drained soil which is slightly acidic to neutral (pH 6.0 to 7.0) and has plenty of organic matter, such as compost or well rotted manure, mixed in.

Lettuce can be grown in full sun or partial shade, but it does best with around six hours of sunlight per day. If you can plant it in a position which gets a little afternoon shade, that’s even better as it can prevent bolting (when the plants grow flowers rather than leaves).

Water your lettuces regularly to keep the soil moist but never waterlogged. Watering deeply once a week is best, and you may need to step it up during hot or dry weather.

Depending on the variety, your lettuce should take between 30-45 days (for loose leaf varieties) or 50-70 days (for hearting lettuce). You can start picking leaves sooner than that, however, as long as you leave the centre of the lettuce intact.

You can certainly grow lettuce in a container - just choose one that’s large enough for the mature plant and has good drainage. Use a good quality potting soil or compost, place your pot in a sunny position and water it regularly to prevent it drying out.

Harvest your lettuce as individual leaves (cut and come again) or leave the whole head to mature and then cut it off at the stalk. Our growers say that harvesting in the morning gives lettuce the best flavour! Find out more with our complete guide to growing lettuce.