How to Grow Prizehead
Lactuca sativa 'Prizehead'
Prizehead lettuce is a reliable cool-season heirloom valued for its excellent heat tolerance and resistance to bolting. Gardeners appreciate its compact size and ability to produce crisp leaves even in warmer conditions where other varieties might fail quickly.
📷 Wikimedia CommonsStarting Prizehead: indoors or direct sow?
🏠 Start indoors 3 weeks before your last spring frost, then move the seedlings outside.
You can start seeds indoors three weeks before the last frost date and gently transplant seedlings once they are sturdy enough to handle outdoor conditions.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. As a cool-season crop, sow seeds directly outdoors or start indoors two to six weeks before your last spring frost date. Press seeds lightly into the soil at a depth of about one-quarter inch. Expect germination within seven to fourteen days under consistent moisture.
Space plants eight to ten inches apart to ensure proper air circulation and leaf development. While this variety does not require trellising, keep the soil consistently moist with about one inch of water weekly. Apply a light layer of mulch around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds without blocking sunlight from low-growing leaves.
Watch for aphids, flea beetles, slugs, and snails; use hand-picking or barriers like copper tape to manage these pests. Prevent downy mildew and tipburn by ensuring good airflow and avoiding overhead watering in extreme heat. Harvest outer leaves when the plant reaches 50-60 days after sowing for a continuous supply of fresh greens.
When to Plant Prizehead
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 Prizehead
✓ Good companions
Loosens soil with deep taproot, doesn't compete for space or nutrients
Repels aphids and other soft-bodied insects that damage lettuce
Attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs and parasitic wasps that control aphids
Natural fungicide properties help prevent damping-off and other soil-borne diseases
Repels nematodes and aphids while attracting beneficial predatory insects
Acts as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles, draws pests away from lettuce
Breaks up soil, deters flea beetles, and grows quickly between lettuce rows
Similar growing requirements and harvest times, efficient use of garden space
✗ Keep away from
Heavy feeder that competes for nitrogen and can shade out lettuce
Produces allelopathic chemicals that stunt growth of most vegetables including lettuce
Allelopathic compounds inhibit germination and growth of nearby lettuce
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
