Grow lettuces in full sun in moisture-retentive soil. Early and late sowings may need protection against cold, using cloches, plastic tunnels or horticultural fleece.
Should I cover my lettuce plants?
Lettuce is tolerant of cold temperatures for short periods of time, although growth will slow down. To protect lettuce in frost-prone areas, plant romaine or butterhead lettuce, which are the most cold-tolerant. When frost is predicted, cover the garden with sheets or towels to provide some protection.
How cold is too cold for lettuce?
How to Grow: Lettuce is a cool-weather crop that thrives in the temperature range 60-65 degrees F, and if thoroughly hardened, most varieties survive temperatures as low as 20 degrees F. Cold-adapted varieties survive much lower temperatures. Seed germinates best at about 75 degrees F.
Why do you cover lettuce?
Using row covers can also help to keep lettuce from drying out in the sun. An organic mulch will help conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and keep soil temperatures cool throughout the warmer months.
Do I need to cover lettuce seedlings?
Growing lettuce from seed in late summer may require generous artificial shade to help cool the soil for germination. Once days become cooler, the shade can be removed to give plenty of sunlight to young lettuce plants. Lettuce grows best in loose, cool soil with good drainage.
Can lettuce survive 32 degrees?
Because this vegetable is frost-hardy, lettuce should handle the cold pretty well. Typically, your plant can survive light freezes, meaning the temperature drops between 28 and 32 degrees.
At what temperature should you cover your plants at night?
Cover Plants – Protect plants from all but the hardest freeze (28°F for five hours) by covering them with sheets, towels, blankets, cardboard or a tarp. You can also invert baskets, coolers or any container with a solid bottom over plants. Cover plants before dark to trap warmer air.
What temps can lettuce tolerate?
Lettuce is adapted to cool growing conditions with the optimum temperatures for growth of 60 to 65°F. At 70 to 80°F, the plants flower and produce seed. Lettuce can tolerate a few days of temperatures from 80 to 85°F, provided that nights are cool.
Does lettuce need a lot of water?
Lettuce has shallow roots, so plants need consistent watering. Check at least twice a week and water if the soil is dry down to 1 inch deep. Containers of lettuce need to be watered more frequently than garden beds, especially in the summer.
Does lettuce need full sun?
How much sun does lettuce need to grow? Most lettuce varieties enjoy full sunlight. For the best turnout, make sure you plant your lettuce in an area that receives approximately 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight each day. Some varieties can also be grown in partial shade, receiving 4 to 6 hours a day.
What do you cover a lettuce bed with?
We hang old, ripped pieces of row cover over the lettuce beds to give the plants some shade and protection from battering rainstorms. It also helps to keep the lettuce cleaner. Row covers can be laid right on top of plants and secured around the edges with soil, pins, rocks, or sandbags.
Why is my lettuce growing so tall?
ANSWER: Lettuce plants that suddenly start stretching toward the sky and growing extra tall are likely to be bolting. In the bolting stage, a plant stops focusing so much on producing foliage and starts to turn its attention toward reproduction, sending out a flower stalk that will eventually dry to release seeds.
Can you grow lettuce in pots?
Almost all varieties of lettuce can be grown in containers. But loose leaf types tend to do better and require less space than full-head varieties. Some are meant to be grown to maturity and harvested only once, while others can be picked in baby-leaf form or harvested a few leaves at a time.
When should I plant lettuce outside?
In the spring, begin setting out lettuce plants about a month before the last frost. Lettuce grows best within a temperature range from 45 to about 80 degrees. Hot weather makes it bitter; extreme cold freezes it. When well rooted, some Bibb types such as Buttercrunch will tolerate a surprising amount of frost.
When can I transplant lettuce?
Lettuce should be transplanted when the plants are between 2-3 inches tall. You should harden off your lettuce plants 7-10 days before transplanting.
If you’re growing a heading variety you may want to consider starting your lettuce indoors and transplanting seedlings out.
- Better germination.
- No wasted space.
- More time.
What temperature is too hot for lettuce?
Lettuce is a cool-season vegetable, meaning it grows best in temperatures around 60 – 65°F. Once temperatures rise above 80°F, lettuce will normally start to “bolt” or stop leaf production and send up a stalk to flower and produce seed. The leaves become bitter at this stage.
Does romaine lettuce come back every year?
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), dill (Anethum graveolens), basil (Ocimum basilicum), parsley (Petroselinum crispum), lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) are just a few examples of the many plants that can return to your garden each year by spreading their own seeds.
Does lettuce need a trellis?
Trellis can support vines & shade lettuce; see 3 examples from Lockwood’s community garden. You can provide support for vining vegetables such as squash or cucumbers, while at the same time providing shade for lettuce, which likes cooler temperatures, with a simple trellis.
Can I cover plants with garbage bags?
Yes – if you secure the plant properly. Garbage bags work to cover plants and protect from frost, but they must not be allowed to touch the plant’s surface. Use stakes and supports to create a tent-like structure over the plant, which will retain warm air. Make sure the trash bag goes all the way to the ground.
Can I cover my plants with a bucket?
–Buckets and plastic plant pots are great for covering tender plants. Simply turn the bucket or container upside down and place it over the plant. (It’s a good idea to put a rock or brick on top of the container to keep it in place.)
How do I know if my plants are too cold?
3 Main Signs Your Plants Are Too Cold
- The rotting stems and roots are the signs that your plants are too cold.
- When plant cells are damaged by frost, they lose their rigidity, and you see droopy or curled-up leaves.
- Another sign that your plants are too cold is the discoloration of leaves.