Latin Name: Lactuca sativa
Main Uses: Culinary
Days to Maturity: 28 days baby, 55 days full size
Exposure: Full sun
Certified Organic: USDA Certified Organic

Germination: 7 - 9 days at 21ºC.
Indoors: Start seeds 4 weeks before planting out. For best results, apply Sea Magic™ kelp from first watering. Apply a seedling-starter fertilizer such as Evolve Seedling once the second set of true leaves has appeared, and then alternate between the kelp and seedling starter until transplant.
Planting Depth: 1/16". Sowing lettuce seeds too deep may cause poor germination.
Planting out: Plant in well-drained fertile soil once seedlings are established and 2 - 3 weeks before last frost date.
Outdoors: Direct seed a couple of weeks before the last frost, once the soil is workable. Sow every 2 weeks for continual harvest. Lettuce is one of the few crops that can be sown in the fall. Direct seed up until the first week in September.
Spacing: Sow seeds 1/2" apart in rows 24" apart. When plants are 2" tall, thin to 6" for small heads (and dwarf varieties) and 12" for full-size heads. For baby salad greens, do not thin (harvested leaves will regrow for continual harvest).

Growing in Containers: No garden? No problem! Lettuce is well-suited to containers that are a minimum of 6-8 inches in diameter. Also suitable for barrels and raised beds - think Square Foot Gardening!

Fertilizing (Containers): Add 25% quality compost, such as Sea Soil, to the potting mix. Fertilize weekly with a higher nitrogen organic plant food such as fish-based fertilizer.

Watering (Containers): Water containers deeply when top inch feels dry to the touch. Monitor every day or two during very hot weather.

Growing in Mixed Planters: Only larger mixed planters.

Fertilizing (Garden): Amend garden soil with quality compost such as Sea Soil. Application of Sea Magic kelp every two weeks will result in healthier and more prolific crops.

Watering (Garden): Water young plants regularly to establish, then water deeply as conditions require.

Companion Planting: Planting lettuce between rows of corn will provide some shelter from the heat and sun.

Notes: Mulch plants in summer to keep the soil cool.

Suitability for Indoors: Well-suited for indoors - especially for baby greens - provided a sunny location.

Exposure: Full sun or grow lights.

What about Grow Lights? T5 full-spectrum lights are ideal for this crop.

General Indoor Care: Sow fresh seeds indoors in fall.

Indoor Container Suggestions: Minimum 6" container - bowl planters are ideal. Try shallow bulb pans or recycled grocery containers with drainage holes punched out.

Special Instructions: Indoor lettuce should be treated more as a loose-leaf, cut-and-come-again crop... don't expect to grow full-sized heads. However, as a baby crop, it works really well!