Growing Lettuce

CIBOLA COUNTY, NM

Lettuce is easy to grow if you know a few secrets to their production. This is the first place I have been able to grow lettuce in the summer. I live in Thoreau and it is a little cooler then Grants, but you can enjoy fresh lettuce in your salads all summer long too.

First thing to know about lettuce is that the seeds need cool soil to germinate. That isn’t a problem in early spring and you can plant your seed directly in the garden. When the temperatures are at 90s however, the soil is too warm for them to germinate. The north side of a building is the ideal location to start your seeds. You can reuse containers but be sure you clean them well, wash with soap and water, and use a 10 percent bleach soak to kill organisms and fungus. Plant in seed starting soil, water, and put them in an area you can watch. Be sure they don’t dry out. They will germinate in 5 to 7 days. Move them into dappled light or a few hours of early morning light for a week or two. After they develop a couple of true leaves they are ready to go into the garden or put four plants in a 12-inch pot. A trick I learned years ago to protect young transplants from our intense sun: I use wood shims to the south and west of each lettuce. The shim is removed when the lettuce gets larger than the shim. You can also plant them in the shade of taller vegetables.

There are many more kinds of lettuce than are in the grocery store. Johnny’s Seeds has the biggest variety I have seen. In addition to red and green varieties, you can buy lettuce seeds that are pelleted. A material like clay is applied to each seed. The clay allows the seed to germinate even when the soil is very warm. They are also much easier to handle. The down side is their expense and shortened time the seeds are viable.

When you plant the seeds directly in the garden, the seed is commonly broadcast in a 2-4 inch band. The lettuce will come up thick but when they have 3-4 leaves one baby lettuce is left every two inches. The others are early salad. In a couple of weeks, you go back and thin them to one every 6 inches. Now there is space for the lettuce to become a full head. Pick the lettuce before it gets tall. Bolting or going to seed causes lettuce to turn bitter. Separate the leaves and wash to remove all the dirt. Store it in a refrigerator inside a plastic bag and it will last from two to four weeks.

Edith Iwan is a Cibola-McKinley County Master Gardener who lives and works in Thoreau. As a Master Gardener she assists the County Cooperative Extension Service in providing accurate, research-based gardening information to county residents. If you have any gardening questions, please call the NMSU Cibola County Extension at 505-287-9266 or NMSU McKinley County Extension at 505-863-3432