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Lettuce

When to start, transplant and harvest lettuce, as 6 university extension services put it, and what that means in each zone.

Family
Asteraceae5
Type
Leafy
Rules
9
Last reviewed
Garden experts do not always agree, so I show every rule side by side.

Five digits. The calendar is computed on your device.

Spring timing, source by source

Every rule counts from the last spring frost, so the same rule gives different dates in different gardens. Here are the rules themselves before any dates are worked out.

  1. Colorado StateSow outdoors
  2. Utah StateSow outdoors
  3. Oregon State, central ORTransplant outdoors
  4. Oregon State, central ORStart indoors
  5. Texas A&M (E-502)Sow outdoors
  • Plant outdoors
  • Start indoors
Figure 1. How each extension source times lettuce in spring, in weeks before or after the last frost. Sources disagree; each bar is one publication's rule, shown as written.

Fall timing, source by source

Fall rules count from the first fall frost.

  1. Texas A&M (E-502)Plant for fall
  • Plant outdoors
Figure 2. How each extension source times lettuce in fall, in weeks before or after the first frost. Rules written for warm states sit weeks earlier than those for cold ones.
Table 1. Planting rules for lettuce, as published.
SourceWritten forWhatWhen
Colorado State1COSow outdoors2-4 weeks before last frost
Utah State2UTSow outdoors2 weeks before last frost
Oregon State, central OR7central OregonTransplant outdoors2 weeks before last frost
Oregon State, central OR7central OregonStart indoors7 weeks before last frost
Texas A&M (E-502)6TXSow outdoorsFrom 6 wk before to 2 wk after last frost
Texas A&M (E-502)6TXPlant for fall10-14 weeks before first frost
Purdue (HO-66)3INPlant for fallCount back days to maturity from the first frost
Nebraska (G1343)4NEPlant for fallCount back days to maturity + 14-day fall factor (+14 for tender crops) from the first frost

Lettuce by hardiness zone

Applied to the frost records of every ZIP in each zone. The zone median is a starting point; your own station can be weeks earlier or later.

Table 2. Outdoor planting for lettuce by zone, using the Oregon State, central OR rule. Linked zones have their own page.
ZoneWhatZone medianAcross most of the zone
4aTransplant outdoorsApr 28Apr 21 – May 10
4bTransplant outdoorsApr 24Apr 17 – May 11
5aTransplant outdoorsApr 19Apr 12 – May 6
5bTransplant outdoorsApr 17Apr 7 – May 3
6aTransplant outdoorsApr 14Apr 2 – Apr 26
6bTransplant outdoorsApr 8Mar 27 – Apr 19
7aTransplant outdoorsApr 2Mar 21 – Apr 14
7bTransplant outdoorsMar 22Mar 16 – Apr 3
8aTransplant outdoorsMar 15Mar 6 – Mar 24
8bTransplant outdoorsMar 3Feb 21 – Mar 18
9aTransplant outdoorsFeb 17Feb 2 – Mar 4

Growing facts

Table 3. Each value as one source states it. Sources measure differently, so values are not averaged.
FactValueSource
Frost tolerancehardyColorado State1
Frost tolerancesemi hardyUtah State2
Frost tolerancesemi hardyPurdue (HO-66)3
Frost tolerancesemi hardyNebraska (G1343)4
Minimum soil temperature35°FColorado State1
Best soil temperature70°FColorado State1
Days to germinate4-10 daysColorado State1
Days to maturity60 days from seedColorado State1
Days to maturity60-80 days from seedUF/IFAS Florida5
Days to maturity40 days from seedPurdue (HO-66)3
Days to maturity40-80 days from seedTexas A&M (E-502)6
Spacing7-9 in apart each wayColorado State1
Spacing8-12 in in the row, rows 18 in apartUF/IFAS Florida5
Spacing2-3 in in the row, rows 18-24 in apartTexas A&M (E-502)6
Spacing4 in in the rowPurdue (HO-66)3
Heat limit70°FColorado State1
Heat limit85°FPurdue (HO-66)3
Heat limit85°FNebraska (G1343)4

Companions, and how sure anyone is

  • Cilantro · Helps Extension guidance

    Cilantro flowers attract aphid-eating beneficial insects (lacewings, lady beetles, parasitic wasps, spiders, syrphid flies) that reduce aphids on lettuce.8

    Penn State Master Gardener article. It calls its pairings research-based but cites a book (Walliser 2020) rather than a study.

  • Dill · Helps Extension guidance

    Dill flowers attract aphid-eating beneficial insects (lacewings, lady beetles, parasitic wasps, spiders, syrphid flies) that reduce aphids on lettuce.8

    Penn State Master Gardener article. It calls its pairings research-based but cites a book (Walliser 2020) rather than a study.

  • Fennel · Helps Extension guidance

    Fennel flowers attract aphid-eating beneficial insects (lacewings, lady beetles, parasitic wasps, spiders, syrphid flies) that reduce aphids on lettuce.8

    Penn State Master Gardener article. It calls its pairings research-based but cites a book (Walliser 2020) rather than a study.

  • Carrots · Helps Extension guidance

    Deep-taprooted carrots paired with shallow, wide-rooted lettuce use different soil layers, so their roots compete less.91010

    WSU EM128E recommends this root-depth pairing as practical guidance; no study of this pair is cited. The UC tradition chart lists each as the other's companion.

  • Cucumbers · Helps Traditional pairing10

  • Onions · Helps Traditional pairing10

  • Garlic · Helps Traditional pairing10

    The chart says "onion family"; garlic is an onion-family (Allium) crop.

Traditional pairings come from a UC Master Gardener chart that traces to the UC Davis Edible Landscaping Handbook and ATTRA. The chart gives no reasons, and we found no trial of these pairs; treat them as garden lore.

All lettuce companions, with sources · The full companion chart

Sources

  1. Colorado State University Extension, Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720), reviewed September 2024. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  2. Utah State University Extension, Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah, January 2018; revised May 2025. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  3. Purdue Extension, The Fall Vegetable Garden (HO-66-W), reviewed September 2019. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  4. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension, Fall Vegetable Gardening (NebGuide G1343), Revised March 2012. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  5. University of Florida, IFAS Extension (Department of Horticultural Sciences), Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103 / VH021), Original December 1999; revised October 2015, January 2016, May 2018, September 2020, September 2021, and June 2025. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  6. Texas AgriLife Extension Service, The Texas A&M System, Texas Home Vegetable Gardening Guide (E-502), 2/09. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  7. Oregon State University Extension Service, When to start seeds indoors in central Oregon, reviewed 2024. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  8. Penn State Extension, Herbs Make Good Plant Partners and Companions, Updated April 22, 2026. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  9. Washington State University Extension, Gardening with Companion Plants (Home Garden Series), EM128E, December 2023. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  10. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCCE Master Gardener Program), Companion Planting Chart: Companion planting in the vegetable garden, File dated 2023-09 in URL path; no date printed. Retrieved 2026-11-02.