How to Grow Lettuce All Year: A Primer in Succession Planting

Today's post is from garden coach, Sara, from Revival Garden Co.

My first experience growing lettuce was during a stint when I lived on an organic farm. We had a sizable patch with mixed varieties, including some non-lettuce plants like bok choy and arugula. In the cool of the morning, I'd visit the garden, a hot cup of coffee in hand, to harvest fresh lettuce greens for my lunchtime salad.  

Fast forward to today, my lettuce harvesting habits haven't changed much. However, I have developed a method to ensure we always have enough lettuce for our almost daily salads.

The process of planting and replanting certain crops in the garden is called succession planting.  Succession planting will take your gardening productivity to the next level, and it's a lot more simple than you think! Gardeners and farmers usually succession plant the crops that have a short lifespan, making lettuce an excellent candidate!

In this method of succession planting, you will continuously work within three planting zones.  I'll give you some ideas for how you can grow your lettuce using this method, but the sky's the limit here!

Here’s what succession planting would look like in your garden so that you can get an idea of what it’s all about: 

Start with transplants, if you want, to get a jump start. The same day you plant your lettuce starts, sow your first round of seeds.  

A month later, sow your next patch of lettuce seeds and harvest leaves from your lettuce starts for your first home-grown salad.

A month after that, your first lettuce plants are probably getting a little bitter and old.  Pull them out, replenish your soil if needed, and sow another round of seeds in the same spot where your lettuce plants used to be.  By this time, your second patch of lettuce, where you started your first round of seeds should be ready to harvest!

Do you see where this is going? 

If you follow the method, you will always have a patch of lettuce that you are harvesting from, one that is getting ready for harvest, and one that is seeded and germinating.  

Succession planting in this way is how you ensure you always have lettuce in the garden and it is an essential step toward creating a garden that is not just a place of feast or famine, but a constant supply of beautiful food.

GETTING STARTED

What you'll need for this project:

• 1 or 2 six-packs of lettuce transplants (optional), but this gets you started right away.
• A packet or two of lettuce seeds
• The growing space of your choice:
  • A large pot - You can succession plant into one large pot by dividing it into thirds and following the method below. Try to choose a container that is at least 18" wide or long and 6" deep
  • Three medium-sized pots - Choose three pretty pots, at least 6" deep, that you will plant into at separate times following the method below.
  • Three square feet of growing space in your garden - The three square feet don't have to be right next to each other. You want to make sure you have the room for each succession planting when the time comes.
• Compost - You'll need some to mix with your garden soil or potting soil (if you are planting in pots) to add extra nutrients and water retention and some to lightly cover your seeds with
• Potting soil (if planting in pots)
• Slow-release fertilizer - a granular fertilizer that will slowly release nutrients into the soil for the lettuce roots to absorb
• Liquid Kelp fertilizer - for fertilizing throughout the growing season

A hand trowel or your hands - for planting the transplants and amending your soil

Directions

​Step 1: Prepare Your Soil
If you are planting into pots, fill them 2/3 full of potting soil and 1/3 with compost.  Add your slow-release fertilizer as prescribed by the manufacturer. Mix well.

Step 2: Plant your transplants
Now you'll start your "first succession." Since these plants are usually 3-4 weeks old when you buy them, they are giving you a jump start toward an earlier first salad. Plant your “lettuce starts” 4 inches apart if you can. 

• One big container - Choose 1/3 of your big container to plant your lettuce starts.
• Three Containers - Plant all of your “lettuce starts” in one of your three pots.
• In the garden - Choose 1 square foot and plant your “lettuce starts”.

Step 3: Start your first round of seeds.

• Make sure your soil surface is level by smoothing it with your hands.  
  • One big container - Choose the next 1/3 of your big container to start your seeds.
  • Three Containers - Choose and prepare the second of your three pots
  • In the garden - Choose the next square foot where you will start seeds.
• Open your seed packet and pour some seeds into your hand.
• Sprinkle the seeds onto the soil surface evenly.  It doesn't need to be perfect! Your goal is to make sure you have enough seeds on the soil to create your next lettuce patch.

Gently press your seeds into the soil surface with your hand.  Your goal is to make sure the seeds and soil are making contact. Pressing the seeds into the soil helps tremendously with germination!

• ​Take a handful of compost and gently sprinkle the compost on top of the seeds.  You do not need to cover the seeds with a thick layer of soil. Since they are so tiny, only a little sprinkle of compost or soil is necessary. 
• Water the soil.  Make sure your stream of water is not too strong to dislodge your seeds or bury them. I use a watering can with a rosette spout, so the water flows gently in a shower.

---

TIP: Your soil surface must remain damp while your seeds are germinating
(usually 3-10 days depending on the temperature). 
​Once you see some green growth from your seedlings, you can ease up a little bit. In the heat of the summer, it's best to sow your seeds in the shade and water at least twice a day.

---

Step 4: Mark your calendar for one month from the day you planted your lettuce starts and started your first round of seeds.  That is when you will plant your next succession of lettuce. You can also take your first cuttings from your lettuce starts!

• One big container - Choose the last open 1/3 of your big container to start your seeds.
• Three Containers - Prepare the last of your three pots
• In the garden - Choose the next square foot where you will start seeds.

---

TIP: I love the cut-and-come-again method for lettuce.  
It lets you plant closer together and gives you multiple harvests from one patch of lettuce. The technique is easy! You can either cut or pull lettuce leaves from the outside of each plant.  Be sure to leave at least four leaves on each plant.  Or you can take some kitchen shears and cut the leaves about 1" above the soil level. In a few days, you will begin to see new growth coming from the center of each plant. Harvesting leaf-by-leaf takes more time but leaves the plants looking prettier. The shearing method is much faster but doesn't leave your plants looking very pretty. Either way works equally well. You will usually get 2-3 harvests from each planting before they start tasting too bitter. At that point, you should remove them (see Step 5).

---

Step 5: Two months after you've started, it's time to pull out your old lettuce plants (i.e., the ones you bought as starts or transplants). In their place, start another round of seeds using the method in Step 3. Begin harvesting lettuce off your second patch, the one you seeded at the beginning of this project.

It might seem a little complicated at first, but once you get the hang of the flow, succession planting is awesome! I have a recurring reminder on my phone that reminds me to start my next round of lettuce every month. It's a simple step that helps me remember those tiny chores in the garden that make a significant impact on my diet.

So, are you going to give this a try? I hope you do! Be sure to tag me @revivalgardenco on Instagram when you do so that I can cheer you on.

​


​Sara Cory is a garden designer, garden coach, and founder of How Revival Garden Company. She is dedicated to helping new and established gardeners create edible and cut-flower gardens that are both beautiful and productive.