Lettuce all year round

 

click on this chart to enlarge it.

Dear Garden-lovers,

According to the WestCoast Seed planting guides (links are in the right side bar if you scroll down) you can plant lettuce all year round and keep it going right through the winter too. The trick is to sow seed every two weeks, and to harvest mostly by taking the outer leaves, leaving the crown to keep growing. This is less work than trying to produce heads of lettuce. 

 I've made a graphic just showing lettuce-through-the-year above. Click on it to enlarge the calendar. Since it thrives in the 10-15 C degree range, it's best not to try and grow it in full sun or anywhere but a cool corner in the hot months.

We have found that the front right of the garden is cool and shady and gives the best results. We might try soil boxes, lettuce pots or trays this year, leaving them all in the shade.

Also as a note on harvesting,  since we don't have refrigeration at DIGS, the harvested lettuce gets too wilty waiting for customers, so it's easier if gardeners simply choose a loose-leaf method of picking the lettuce.

Here are some Charles Dowding films all set to start at the right exact moment to learn how he handles lettuce in the same Zone 8 Coastal zone that we are in.

Growing salad in winter in poly-tunnel: (video)

Growing lettuce in summer: (video)

Picking the outer leaves to keep the lettuce going: (video)

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Another crop that loves cool weather (springtime 10C) is Spinach:

Spinach all year round; see article.

As you can see from this simplified westcoast planting chart, both crops can be planted every month of the year except Dec-Jan; and you can be harvesting leaves in 40-60 days from starting.

Click on this chart to enlarge it.