Crop fact sheet · Cool season
Lettuce
Not in season right now in Houston. Dates below.
Your dates in Houston
| Window | Order seed by | Start indoors | Plant | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Aug 12 | — | Sep 2 – Sep 30 | from Oct 12 |
| Spring 2027 | Dec 14 | — | Jan 4 – Mar 1 | from Feb 13 |
| Fall 2027 | Aug 12 | — | Sep 2 – Sep 30 | from Oct 12 |
Worked out from AgriLife planting windows (days before/after average frost) and Houston's average frost dates. "Order seed by" is our own 3-week heads-up, not an AgriLife date.
The numbers
- How to plant
- Sow seed or set transplants 0.25" deep, 3" apart, rows 18" apart.
- Days to harvest
- 40–80 days
- Yield per 10 ft of row
- 5 lb
- Keeps producing
- about 3 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Family
- Asteraceae (for rotation)
Water
Lettuce has shallow roots and needs even moisture throughout growth; moisture is most critical during stand establishment. Avoid excess water just before maturity, which can cause puffy or soft heads.
Feeding
- Before planting: Complete fertilizer mixed into the soil a few days before planting: 1-2 lb of 5-10-10 or 6-12-12 per 100 sq ft on sandy soil, or 10-20-10 / 12-24-12 on clay soil.
- Several sets of character leaves: Side-dress with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) at 2-3 lb per 100 ft of row in the furrow and water in.
Not sure what your soil needs? Get a soil test first.
Texas heat
Lettuce grows best at mean temperatures of 55-60°F and needs cool nights. Above 80°F heading slows and seed stalks form (bolting), giving loose, bitter heads. Plant so it matures before hot weather.
Pests to watch
- aphids
- cabbage loopers
- armyworms
- cutworms
- leafminers
Diseases
- damping off
- downy mildew
- Sclerotinia drop
- gray mold
What to do about them: pest sheet · what's wrong with my plant?
When it's ready
Leaf types: when outer leaves are 4-6 inches long. Heading types: when heads are moderately firm.
Storing it
Wash after harvest and refrigerate. Lettuce is extremely perishable; cool it immediately (ideal 32°F, 98% humidity).
Texas tips
- AgriLife table: plant 6 weeks before to 2 weeks after the average last spring frost, and 10-14 weeks before the first fall freeze.
- For fall planting, seed when soil in the seed zone is below 90°F; shallow seeding in early fall causes stand problems.
- The 3-inch spacing is for leaf lettuce; heading types are spaced 9-12 inches apart.
Varieties that do well in Texas
Buttercrunch, Summer Bibb, Mission, Black Seeded Simpson, Red Sails, Salad Bowl, Oakleaf, Parris Island, Little Caesar, Valmaine