Growing Lettuce in Containers

Your garden can truly be a “moveable feast” when you grow vegetables in containers. And, one of the easiest and most suitable plants for container growing is lettuce. These seeds have a very shallow root system and taste best when harvested young, thus they don’t need more room than a large tub, planter, or crock has to offer.

For best results, plant your lettuce seeds early in the season, just when the soil is able to be tilled. Wait too late and the hot weather will cause the plant to “bolt,” or send a bitter stalk up from the center of the plant, sapping the majority of its energy.

Plant lettuce in full sun. (You can move the container around to follow the sun.) Plant the seeds 1/8″ deep and water regularly. The first lettuce leaves will be ready to harvest in 28-45 days. Trim the leaves and the plants will grow a second crop.

(photo credit: S. Mitchell)