When to sow Lettuce in the UK
Lettuce is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Lettuce is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant's timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| South Coast and Channel | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| South East and Home Counties | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| East Anglia | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| Wales and West Coast | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| Northern England | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| Northern Ireland | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early February to late February | late March to early August | early March to early August | early May to early November |
Growing notes
Sow small batches every couple of weeks for a continuous supply; give summer sowings light shade to prevent bolting.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 20 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 20
- Days to maturity
- 70 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.25 kg
- Sun
- Partial shade
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 15 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 20 cm
- Balcony rating
- 5 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 14 days, up to about 6 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- slugs and snails
- bolting in heat
- grey mould
- aphids
Companion planting
Grows well near
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for lettuce.