How to Grow Green Leaf
Lactuca sativa 'Green Leaf'
Lettuce 'Green Leaf' is a versatile cool-season crop prized for its tender leaves and rapid growth. Gardeners favor this variety for salads, sandwiches, and garnishes due to its ease of cultivation and quick harvest window.
📷 Wikipedia: LettuceStarting Green Leaf: indoors or direct sow?
🏠 Start indoors 3 weeks before your last spring frost, then move the seedlings outside.
While direct sowing is common, seedlings started indoors should be hardened off and moved outdoors 2-6 weeks before the last frost date.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 before sowing seeds directly outdoors or starting indoors. Since it is a cool-season crop, plant seeds 2-6 weeks before the last spring frost. Sow seeds shallowly at about 1/4 inch deep. Expect germination to occur within 7-10 days under consistent moisture.
Space plants 6-8 inches apart once they emerge to ensure proper air circulation and head formation. Water consistently to provide about one inch per week, keeping the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged. Apply a light layer of mulch around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds without touching the leaves.
Watch for aphids, flea beetles, slugs, and cutworms; use row covers or hand-picking to manage these pests early. Prevent downy mildew, lettuce drop, and bottom rot by ensuring good airflow and avoiding overhead watering. Harvest outer leaves as needed or the whole plant after 45-55 days from sowing.
When to Plant Green Leaf
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | — | June – July | July – September |
| Zone 2 | — | May – July | July – September |
| Zone 3 | — | May – June | June – October |
| Zone 4 | — | April – June | June – October |
| Zone 5 | — | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 6 | — | April – May | May – November |
| Zone 7 | — | March – May | May – November |
| Zone 8 | — | March – April | April – December |
| Zone 9 | — | February – March | March – December |
| Zone 10 | — | January – March | March – December |
| Zone 11 | — | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 12 | — | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 13 | — | January – February | February – December |
Companion Plants for Green Leaf
✓ Good companions
Different root depths allow efficient space use without competition
Repels aphids and other pests while improving lettuce flavor
Attracts beneficial insects that control lettuce pests
Deters aphids, slugs, and rabbits that commonly eat lettuce
Repel aphids, whiteflies, and nematodes that damage lettuce
Act as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles
Break up soil for lettuce roots and deter flea beetles
Similar growing conditions and can provide mutual shade
✗ Keep away from
Both are heavy nitrogen feeders causing nutrient competition
Releases allelopathic compounds that inhibit lettuce growth
Create too much shade and compete heavily for nutrients
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
