Growing Lettuce and Greens Organically

Growing lettuce and other greens organically- greens are a cool weather crops but, with a few tricks and proper management, you can have lettuce all through the season in the northern climates.  You can plant as soon as the ground can be worked.  It is best either broadcasting or in rows, and grows best in full sun.

Lettuce seeds are one of the few that require light to germinate.

When you plant, pat down and lightly cover with soil.  Water thoroughly and maintain moistness for germination to take place.

Temperature Tips

Once the weather warms up to 80°F, lettuce will bolt easily and go to seed.  It also becomes bitter in the heat of the summer.  So, how do you get lettuce all through the growing season?  Once the temperatures rise into the 80’s, harvest most of your plants but leave a section behind.

Shading

You must then provide partial shade or filtered shade to the area.  The leafy lettuce will get a little leggy but, by continually harvesting the outer leaves, you will not have too much of a problem.  You can pick an area under a tree (preferably using a raised bed) where you get almost complete shade.  Also, add extra shade by placing a lattice type structure or a shade cloth or row cover over the area where the lettuce is planted.  This will allow some sun but not enough to cause the bolting.  Lastly, provide straw mulch to keep temperatures down in the soil.

Recap:

• provide some shade to the area or plant a crop under shade,
• mulch to keep soil temperature down,
• water regularly to maintain moisture and keep plants cool.

This will help extend the growing season for a couple more months.  Then it will be time to start getting ready for a whole new crop in the fall.

Choosing Which Variety to Plant and Transplant Tips

There are so many varieties to choose from when it comes to lettuce.  There is the head lettuce, which includes the iceberg, and these varieties do well once the temperature warms up to around 55° F in the spring.  This means that the season for them to thrive is fairly short.  Therefore, start seeds in a cold frame or indoors under lights for 6 to 7 weeks before, and then transplant them outdoors when the weather is right.  Once in the ground, they are easy to grow.  You can do a second crop in the fall about 8 weeks before the first frost.

The Butterhead or Boston or Bibb lettuce has a deeper green color and smaller leaves but is very nutritious, with a thick texture. There are varieties that will stand light frost.

The multiple loose-leaf varieties vary in color from red to green and in between.  Some of these varieties do better at tolerating heat.  Romaine lettuce has large, long leaves that are crisp and can withstand heat better than other varieties (see video showing the process of planting Romaine).  Most of these varieties are harvested while the leaves are young.  You’ll see these in spring mixes or are part of the mesclun mix you find in stores.  See picture of a good mesclun mix.