Lettuce all Year Long! or How to Grow Great Greens in the heat.

It was 2008 when I first wrote about lettuce and in celebration of the fact that I have had varieties of lettuce in my garden for an entire year I am again singing the praises of growing lettuce. Because I like my home grown lettuce so much, every year I have tried to stretch the growing window, not an easy feat in the heat and humidity of Northeast Florida. Most lettuces get very unhappy as soon as temperatures top 90 degrees so in previous years, my lettuce production declined and slowly ended sometime in July. Not this year! We have had our usual wet, humid and hot summer with daytime temperatures in to 90's and nights in the 70's. Not your usual lettuce growing weather but this year my lettuce production has stretched into September and I have a new crop of seeds planted and sprouted.

arugula in August heat

Why grow your own lettuce?

Grow your own lettuce because it tastes better and I know it has NO chemicals on it. There is also a price consideration. One package of arugula seeds costs less than $2. I plant 2 packages of arugula a year (in 4 plantings.) One bag of organic arugula costs close to $5.
Grow lettuce because it is easy! You can grow it is a pot, in a flower bed, a raised bed and it is not very picky about the sun conditions. Most lettuce seed packs say to plant in full sun. I do plant in full sun in the winter and early spring. By late spring I am planting in partial shade or filtered light to provide protection from our hot North Florida summers. Lettuce is not very picky about the cold either. I have had varieties grow right through the winter.

How to grow lettuce
Select the right varieties for your area. You can find out what zone you are in by using this map. Plant Hardiness Map by Zip Code. I am in zone 9A. I am looking for varieties that are heat tolerant. A general rule is that the leafy lettuces don't perform well in the heat. My go to lettuces particularly for the warmer months  are arugula and other spicy lettuces like endive, chicory, radicchio, and Mizuna. I also use various other greens for salads. When young and tender, mustard greens, collard greens, kale and Swiss chard all make delicious salads.

My favorite mustard greens, Giant Red Mustard and Ruby Streaks Both are beautiful in flower beds.

Planting lettuce tips

1. Check the back of the seed pack for planting depth and don't plant seeds too deep. 
2. Plant in well drained damp soil either directly in the ground or start in flats. Most lettuce transplants easily.
3. Many lettuce seeds are tiny and hard not to plant too close together. You can mix the seeds with fine sand to broadcast evenly.
4. Fertilize with 1/2 strength fertilizer and be sure to get fertilizer with micro-nutrients.
5. As your plants grow thin if necessary. The thinings are delicious
6. You can harvest you greens by cutting them with scissors. They will grow again for months.