Almost every gardener knows the feeling: in June twenty lettuces head up at once, half of them bolt before you can eat them, and from July on there is nothing. Yet the answer is not more lettuce, but smarter timing.
Sow small batches two to three weeks apart instead of one big bed, and you harvest fresh heads evenly from spring into autumn. Combine that with loose-leaf lettuce that keeps regrowing, and you have practically never too much and never too little. That is exactly what we look at.
Head lettuce or loose-leaf?
The difference decides how you harvest. The head lettuce forms a firm head that you cut whole. Then the plant is gone and the space is free for the next batch.
The loose-leaf or cutting lettuce forms no firm head but a loose rosette. You only ever pick the outer leaves and leave the heart standing. New leaves grow from the heart, often over many weeks. For a continuous harvest it is the key.
Four types of lettuce for the bed
The right lettuce for every season
- Loose-leaf and cutting lettuce
Loose rosettes like oak-leaf or Lollo. Pick leaves again and again, leave the heart. The steady supplier. See the profile: oak-leaf lettuce.
- Head lettuce
The classic with a soft, closed head. Harvested whole, ideal for successional sowing. See the profile: head lettuce.
- Romaine and Batavia
Upright and crisp, more heat-tolerant and bolt-resistant than the tender head lettuce. The right choice for high summer.
- Lamb's lettuce for winter
The tough gap-filler for the cold season, sown from late summer on. See the profile: lamb's lettuce.
How to get successional sowing right
Sow little and often
Every two to three weeks, sow only as many plants as your family eats in that time. A short row or a few little pots is plenty.
Only press in, do not cover
Lettuce is a light germinator. Scatter the seeds thinly and only press them in, or sift the thinnest layer of soil over them. Sown too deep, it does not germinate at all.
Mix pre-growing and direct sowing
Pre-grow one part on the windowsill and plant it out as a sturdy seedling, sow another part direct. That way you bridge the moods of the weather.
Do not plant too deep
Set head lettuce so the heart stays above the soil. Sitting too deep, it rots easily at the base. Keep 25 to 30 cm spacing depending on the variety.
Keep picking loose-leaf lettuce
With loose-leaf lettuce, only ever take the outer leaves and leave the heart. That way you harvest from one plant again and again over weeks.
In high summer lettuce likes to strike at the germination stage already. The reason is a built-in safety catch: in heat above about 22 to 25 degrees the seed takes a germination pause, so it does not sprout into a drought.
Not more lettuce, but a little more often. Small batches beat the one big bed.
The core rule for continuous lettuce
Frequently asked questions
Why does my lettuce bolt before I can harvest it?
The triggers are long days and heat, often together with drought stress. The lettuce switches to flowering and turns bitter. The remedies are bolt-resistant summer varieties, even watering and timely harvest.
Why does my summer sowing not germinate?
Because lettuce takes a germination pause in heat. Above about 25 degrees the seed just lies there. Sow in the evening, keep it cool and moist, or pre-soak the seeds in the fridge for one to two days first.
How exactly does loose-leaf lettuce work?
You only ever pick the outer, larger leaves and leave the inner ones and the heart. From there the plant regrows. That way you harvest a single plant over many weeks instead of cutting it whole.
Why does my lettuce taste bitter?
Bitterness comes from the start of bolting or from drought stress. Harvest young, water evenly and in the morning, and choose mild, bolt-resistant varieties in summer. After cutting, cold water helps make the leaves crisp.
Can I grow lettuce in winter too?
Yes, with the right kinds. Lamb's lettuce and winter purslane defy the frost, and under fleece you harvest almost all year. Chard too supplies leaves for the kitchen for a long time.
