GardenAnnual Leafy Green · 55 varieties
Head Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
Asteraceae — the same plant family as leaf lettuce, common sunflower, purple coneflower, calendula and 12 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.
Head Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is an annual leafy green. It wants full sun and pH 6–6.8 soil, with about 1–2 in of water weekly. It matures in about 55–80 days from sowing, or 30–40 days from setting out a transplant. Watch for aphids and gray mold. Below: its full sourced profile from 10 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6–6.8
- Soil texture
- Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Half hardy
- Suffers in days above
- 75 °F
No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it, the temperature that would kill it and a warm-night limit. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 6–12 in
- Mature spread
- 6–12 in
- Growth rate
- Fastest
- Spacing in row
- 10–12 in
- Between rows
- 12–18 in
- Planting depth
- 0.25–0.5 in
- Container size
- 1–2 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
- Support
- Self-supportingest
- Grown from
- Transplant, Direct sow
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Water per week
- 1–2 in/wk
- Critical water
- Germination, Headingest
- Feeding
- Moderate
Timing & fruiting
- Days to maturity
- 55–80 days from seed · 30–40 days from transplant
- Harvest cues
- Head forming
Planted again for autumn
- South Carolina — Coastal Plain
- Sep 5 – Nov 1
- South Carolina — Piedmont
- Not recommended here
Published by the extension service for its own regions, and quoted here for those regions only — converting them would mean assuming a frost date somewhere else. The chart says when, not whether to sow seed or set out plants, so we do not either. “Not recommended” is printed on the chart in place of dates, so it is a considered answer for that region and not a gap in what we looked up. Only South Carolina so far.
- Set plants out by
- late Sep typical · zone 6b
30 days to maturity from setting a plant out — that is what our sources measure for this crop, so this is a date for planting out and not a sowing date, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.
Edible parts per source: leaf.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
Quick lettuce fills the row while slow carrots take their time.
A tall tomato throws exactly the shade lettuce wants once summer heat makes it flower and turn bitter (bolt).
On the classic charts — lettuce's own row lists onions.
Companion pairings from university extensions; badge = how strong the evidence is.
Open one and add it to your garden — it lights up here. The rest of the 55 are in the full list below.
| Variety | Type | Days | Color | Disease | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adriana Lettuce | Butterhead | 48 | Green | DOWNY_MILDEW TIPBURN | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat |
| All Year Round Lettuce Heirloom | Butterhead | 53 | Green | Pinetree Garden Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat | |
| Anuenue Lettuce | Crisphead | 30–40 | Green | The Urban Harvest describes this astakes the heat · slow to run to seed in heat | |
| Bibb Lettuce Heirloom | Butterhead | 65 | Green | ||
| Big Boston Lettuce Heirloom | Butterhead | 70 | Green, Red | ||
| Breen Lettuce | Romaine | 45 | Red, Brown | DOWNY_MILDEW | |
| Buttercrunch Lettuce | Butterhead | 50 | Green | Fedco Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat | |
| Cardinale Lettuce | Batavian | 48 | Green, Red | Fedco Seeds describes this astakes the heat · slow to run to seed in heat · takes the cold | |
| Cherokee Lettuce | Batavian | 48 | Red | DOWNY_MILDEW BOTTOM_ROT | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat · slow to run to seed in heat |
| Cimarron Lettuce Heirloom | Romaine | 58 | Green, Red | Urban Farmer describes this astakes the heat · slow to run to seed in heat | |
| Coastal Star Lettuce | Romaine | 57 | Green | CORKY_ROOT | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat |
| Coastline Lettuce | Batavian | 35 | Green | ||
| Crispino Lettuce | Crisphead | 60–65 | Green | ||
| Crispmint Lettuce | Romaine | 45–55 | Green | Thresh Seed Co. describes this astakes the heat · slow to run to seed in heat | |
| Divina Lettuce | Butterhead | 60–70 | Green | TIPBURN | John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat · takes the heat |
| Dragoon Lettuce | Romaine | 43 | Green | DOWNY_MILDEW TIPBURN | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat |
| Ermosa Lettuce | Butterhead | 52 | Green | Turtle Tree Seed Initiative describes this astakes the heat · slow to run to seed in heat | |
| Forellenschluss Lettuce Heirloom | Romaine | 56 | Green, Red, Bicolor | Fedco Seeds describes this astakes the heat | |
| Freckles Lettuce Heirloom | Romaine | 70 | Green, Red, Bicolor | True Leaf Market describes this astakes the heat | |
| Great Lakes 118 Lettuce Heirloom | Crisphead | 68–82 | Green | TIPBURN | Botanical Interests describes this astakes the heat · slow to run to seed in heat |
| Green Forest Lettuce | Romaine | 56 | Green | CORKY_ROOT TIPBURN | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat |
| Green Towers Lettuce | Romaine | 60 | Green | CORKY_ROOT | |
| Iceberg Lettuce Heirloom | Crisphead | 70–79 | Green | ||
| Ithaca Lettuce | Crisphead | 50–60 | Green | True Leaf Market describes this astakes the heat | |
| Jericho Lettuce | Romaine | 57 | Green | TIPBURN | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat |
| Kagraner Sommer Lettuce Heirloom | Butterhead | 58 | Green | Fedco Seeds describes this astakes the heat | |
| Little Gem Lettuce Heirloom | Romaine | 68 | Green | Botanical Interests describes this astakes the cold | |
| Magenta Lettuce | Batavian | 48 | Red, Green | DOWNY_MILDEW LMV TIPBURN BOTTOM_ROT | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat · takes the heat |
| Marvel of Four Seasons Lettuce Heirloom | Butterhead | 55 | Green, Red | Botanical Interests describes this astakes the cold · takes the heat | |
| Muir Lettuce | Batavian | 50 | Green | DOWNY_MILDEW LETTUCE_LEAF_APHID TBSV LMV | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat · takes the heat |
| Nancy Lettuce | Butterhead | 58 | Green | Fedco Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat | |
| Nevada Lettuce | Batavian | 48 | Green | Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this astakes the heat · slow to run to seed in heat | |
| Newham Lettuce | Romaine | 52 | Green | DOWNY_MILDEW LETTUCE_LEAF_APHID LETTUCE_ROOT_APHID LMV CORKY_ROOT | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat |
| Optima Lettuce | Butterhead | 52 | Green | BOTTOM_ROT DOWNY_MILDEW LMV TIPBURN | High Mowing Organic Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat |
| Paris White Cos Lettuce Heirloom | Romaine | 80 | Green | ||
| Parris Island Cos Lettuce Heirloom | Romaine | 56 | Green | ||
| Petite Rouge Lettuce Heirloom | Romaine | 70 | Brown, Bicolor | ||
| Pirat Lettuce | Butterhead | 55 | Green, Brown | Fedco Seeds describes this astakes the heat · slow to run to seed in heat | |
| Red Cross Lettuce | Butterhead | 48 | Red | DOWNY_MILDEW | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat |
| Reno Lettuce | Batavian | 45 | Green | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat · slow to run to seed in heat | |
| Rex Lettuce | Butterhead | 50 | Green | DOWNY_MILDEW TIPBURN | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat |
| Rouge d'Hiver Lettuce Heirloom | Romaine | 65 | Green, Red, Brown | TIPBURN | Fedco Seeds describes this astakes the cold |
| Salvius Lettuce | Romaine | 58 | Green | DOWNY_MILDEW LETTUCE_LEAF_APHID CORKY_ROOT | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat · takes the heat |
| Sierra Lettuce | Batavian | 54 | Green, Red | Fifth Season Gardening describes this astakes the heat | |
| Skyphos Lettuce | Butterhead | 47 | Red, Green | DOWNY_MILDEW | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat |
| Sparx Lettuce | Romaine | 58 | Green | DOWNY_MILDEW | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat |
| Speckles Lettuce Heirloom | Butterhead | 55 | Green, Red | ||
| Summertime Lettuce | Crisphead | 60–65 | Green | Uprising Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat · takes the heat | |
| Sylvesta Lettuce | Butterhead | 50 | Green | DOWNY_MILDEW | |
| Tom Thumb Lettuce Heirloom | Butterhead | 46 | Green | ||
| Truchas Lettuce | Romaine | 47 | Red | DOWNY_MILDEW TBSV LMV | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat |
| Vivian Lettuce | Romaine | 43 | Green | LMV | Urban Farmer describes this asslow to run to seed in heat · takes the heat |
| Webb's Wonderful Lettuce Heirloom | Crisphead | 65–70 | Green | John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat · takes the heat | |
| Winter Density Lettuce Heirloom | Romaine | 44 | Green | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the cold · takes the heat | |
| Yugoslavian Red Lettuce Heirloom | Butterhead | 55 | Red |
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
- LSU AgCenter
- Michigan State University Extension
- NC State Extension
- University of Illinois Extension
- University of Maryland Extension
- University of Minnesota Extension
- Utah State University Extension
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 16 of the 20 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
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