Growing Lettuce: My Top 5 Favorite Varieties
I have been growing lettuce since the very beginning. It’s one of the easiest plants to grow in my opinion. They say to start with herbs, then move to grow lettuce, and I agree. I remember my husband even being so blown away by the taste difference in our romaine versus storebought – he was astounded.
I typically grow lettuce in the Fall, though we can grow it in partial shade starting in the Spring. I can say definitively that there are five varieties that I can not live without.
I also have some lettuce growing tips for you! Lettuce wears their heart on their sleeves. It is both forgiving and telling, so very good for a beginning gardener learning the signs of needing water or the marks of a pest.
How to grow lettuce:
- Choose a location that gets at least 6 hours of sun
- Lettuce likes cooler weather, with seeds not germinating in too much heat
- Well draining soil is best, though most lettuce is quite shallow-rooted and can be grown atop clay soil with compost at mixed in to the top 6″
- Plant lettuce about 4″ apart in any direction
- Water your lettuce every other day or so, even less is a climate with rain. If your lettice looks droopy, water it
- Fertilize with nitrogen-rich products that really add to the leafing and growth of all lettuce varieties. Bloodmeal is great for this
- Great companions are: onions, strawberry, cucumber, carrots, radish
When thinking about lettuce I’m thinking about salads, lettuce wraps, and greens that we can sautee. Asian greens are something that I sort of loop into “lettuce” but are really their own category. I suppose ‘leafy greens’ is more appropriate for this list. I have more info on growing an entire salad here.
My Top 5 Varieties for Growing Lettuce
- Buttercrunch Bib Lettuce is my go-to salad base lettuce. It’s so fresh and smooth without the bitterness that can come with lettuce.
- Arugala is so versatile and has that peppery touch that really uplevels a dish. This is fancier lettuce and is great with Italian food.
- Siberian Kale or Red Russian Kale are my favorites. I like the weight of the leaves and their flavor isn’t too strong.
- Romaine is a staple because it holds dressing well, and can be great for wraps.
- Endive I love to roast with parmesan. This plant has more vegetable vibes than lettuce vibes and I like that.
I hope you’ll get to test out some of these varieties this year – lettuce is a great call for any gardener in zones 9 or 10 still!
If you need salad inspiration, I have my two favorite fall salads HERE.