How to start fall lettuce in hot weather

 

Sunday, September 1, 2024

Lettuce is a cool season, leafy green.  The seeds will not germinate well in ground temps above 75 degrees F.  Lettuce does thrive in the cool temperatures of fall into winter, so how to get them going to be at full size for fall?  

There are a couple of options for summer time seed sowing.  You can grow in shade, cover with a shade cloth or start your seedlings indoors and then transplant outdoors after hardening off.

I start my lettuce seeds in rectangular self-watering pots in the shade, close to the watering can on the northeast side of the house (the north side is the coolest side).  The seedlings will be up in 7 days if kept well watered.  I let them grow until they have the first set of true leaves and are about 2” tall.  I then start hardening them off, gradually increasing their sun exposure over a week.  After they are hardened, I transplant them into their permanent home, keeping them well watered for another couple of weeks.

If you want to direct seed in your flower bed, dig a shallow trench about a half inch deep, fill with potting soil, seed, pat down, then cover lightly with more potting soil.  Water well with a gentle stream of water so you don’t wash the seed away.  I use a rain head on my watering can.

I would wait to start seeds until it looks like the 90's are over and the late summer cool down has started.  If you plant too early, the young plants will bolt if the temperatures are still hitting the 80's when they get start growing their second set of permanent leaves.

In looking at our extended forecast, the last of the 90's are over and we are headed into the mid-80's.  I'll start my seeds this coming week.  Use the same growing techniques for your greens in fall as you would in spring.  Growing fabulous lettuce and greens  Plant cold hardy varieties this time of year to extend the harvest into winter.  Quick tip-lettuce varieties I started for fall/winter