Leaf lettuce
Asteraceae · Direct sow · compact garden planning guide
| Bed spacing | 12 × 12 in (304.8 × 304.8 mm) |
|---|---|
| Minimum sun used | 4 hours per day |
| Root depth used | 150 mm (5.9 in) |
| Container volume used | 5 L |
| Spring preparation | -28 to -14 days from your last frost |
| Maturity estimate | 45–60 days from sowing |
Square-bed spacing, root-space and sun thresholds, spring offsets, germination check ranges, harvest occupancy and clearance days are selected planning settings. They are not universal cultivar rules or a guaranteed harvest schedule. Packet, nursery and local guidance take precedence.
Before planting
Avoid heat and bolting; sow only in workable soil.
Establish
Mist the surface gently; small seeds must not be washed away.
Tend and harvest
Check the growing center and take small outer leaves without uprooting the plant. Pick usable outer leaves before bitterness or a flowering stalk develops.
Plans using this crop
Continuous sowing · 4+ hours sun
4×8 spring salad bed
A salad bed with full-size lettuce and up to three successive radish batches.
Leaf lettuce · Small round radishes
Spring starts · 6+ hours sun
4×8 salad and bush beans
Two separate 4×4 zones, with cool-season lettuce first and warm-soil beans later.
Leaf lettuce · Bush snap beans
Spring starts · 5+ hours sun
4×8 beginner greens
Three leafy crops with different heat tolerances and harvest habits.
Leaf lettuce · Spinach · Swiss chard
Spring starts · 6+ hours sun
4×8 four-family rotation starter
Four numbered zones represent four botanical families for next-year planning.
Leaf lettuce · Small round radishes · Short carrots · Bush snap beans
Lower sun · 4+ hours sun
4×8 four-hour leafy plan
Cool-season leafy crops for a place with only four hours of direct sun.
Leaf lettuce · Spinach
References
- UMN Extension: Growing lettuce
Full-size leaf lettuce plant distance is 10–12 inches. Our 12-inch square cells use an intensive bed layout rather than conventional row aisles.
- UMD Extension: Growing vegetables in containers and salad tables
Sun exposure, drainage, growing media and crop-specific minimum volumes; our thresholds are conservative planning settings.
- UMN Extension: Planting the vegetable garden
Cool and warm season establishment; weather and soil readiness matter. Minnesota month dates are not used as global dates.
- UMN Extension: Planting for fall harvest
Maturity is a cultivar-dependent estimate; our extra 14-day fall buffer is an explicit planning assumption.
Updated 2026-10-13. We have not field-tested the plan in your climate.