Leaf lettuce makes a nice addition to a fall garden.
October 7, 2024 - Producing nice heads of rather bland iceberg lettuce is difficult in Texas, but the m any types and colors of leaf lettuce are fairly easy to grow, as long as they are provided with cool temperatures and adequate moisture. Starting with transplants instead of seed makes it much easier. Showy colored vegetables are higher in antioxidants, so be sure your salad has plenty of the red and burgundy forms of lettuce.
Lettuce is a cool-weather plant that blooms and dies when the weather is hot. Like many greens, the flavor gets bitter, and the texture gets tougher with hot weather. Lettuce can tolerate frosts but not hard freezes, so it should be planted around September/October for a fall crop. Another spring crop and be planted in February or March. Lettuce can either be direct seeded or planted as transplants, which are often available from garden centers and feed stores. Transplants are much easier. The transplants should be planted 4 to 6 inches apart.
Lettuce requires at least eight hours of direct sun each day, but like most leafy greens it can tolerate a bit of filtered light, or as little as five to six hours of direct sun. Just remember that any amount of shade reduces production. Plant lettuce in rich, well-drained soil, either in the ground, raised beds, or in whiskey barrel sized (30 gallon) containers. Small containers dry out quickly. Ideally, till in several inches of compost and apply 2 pounds of a complete lawn fertilizer (15-5-10, etc.) per 100 square feet of bed or every 35 feet of row. In small plots use 2 teaspoons per square foot or foot of row. The ideal soil pH for growing lettuce is 6.0 to 7.0. Organic fertilizers are good, but you have to use more to get the equivalent amount of nutrients.
Transplants should be planted in well-cultivated soil. Dig holes that are the same size as the existing pots they are growing in. Remove from the pots and place the roots into the freshly dug holes. Gently firm the soil around the transplants. Water them thoroughly with a water-soluble plant food such as Miracle-Gro at the labeled recommendation. Lettuce seed requires light to germinate so should be sprinkled on top of well cultivated soil and not covered.
The keys to growing good lettuce are mild temperatures, high fertility, and regular moisture. Leaves that become old and tough will be bitter. Two weeks after transplanting, fertilize them with 1 cup of high-nitrogen fertilizer (21-0-0, etc.) for each 35 feet of row. Lightly sprinkle half of the fertilizer down each side of the row. Lightly work it into the soil and then water. After this side dressing, apply a layer of organic mulch (pine straw, grass clippings, etc.) to conserve water and prevent weeds. Lettuce is relatively pest free, but be on the lookout for slugs, aphids, and assorted caterpillars.
Depending on the variety, leaf lettuces are fully mature for harvesting the entire plant in forty to sixty-five days. However, any part of the plant is tender and edible from the time it germinates, so feel free to pick leaves to eat or to use entire plants that are thinned at any time. Either pick the large but still tender, pest-free, older leaves from the bottom of the plant, or cut the entire plant just above the ground. Wash and prepare; or refrigerate immediately.
Some recommended lettuce varieties for Texas include ‘Black Seeded Simpson’ (leaf), ‘Buttercrunch’ (butterhead), ‘Salad Bib’ (butterhead), ‘Green Ice’ (leaf), ‘Raisa’ (leaf), ‘Red Sails’ (leaf), ‘Red Salad Bowl’ (leaf), ‘Salad Bowl’ (leaf), and ‘Parris Island Cos’ (romaine). Lettuce originated in the Middle East.
Greg Grant is the Smith County horticulturist and Master Gardener coordinator for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. He is the author of Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, Texas Home Landscaping, Heirloom Gardening in the South, and The Rose Rustlers. You can read his “Greg’s Ramblings” blog at arborgate.com, read his “In Greg’s Garden” in each issue of Texas Gardener magazine (texasgardener.com), or follow him on Facebook at “Greg Grant Gardens.” More science-based lawn and gardening information from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service can be found at aggieturf.tamu.edu and aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu.
