Seeds – Lettuce (Butterhead), Optima OG (F) Fruition

Latin Name: Lactuca sativa
Main Uses: Culinary
Days to Maturity: 52 days full size
Exposure: Full sun
Certified Organic: USDA Certified Organic

Germination: 7 – 9 days at 21ºC.
Indoors: Start seeds 4 weeks before planting out. For best results, apply Sea Magic™ kelp from first watering. Apply a seedling-starter fertilizer such as Evolve Seedling once the second set of true leaves has appeared, and then alternate between the kelp and seedling starter until transplant.
Planting Depth: 1/16″. Sowing lettuce seeds too deep may cause poor germination.
Planting out: Plant in well-drained fertile soil once seedlings are established and 2 – 3 weeks before last frost date.
Outdoors: Direct seed a couple of weeks before last frost, once soil is workable. Sow every 2 weeks for continual harvest. Lettuce is one of the few crops that can be sown in the fall. Direct seed up until the first week in September.
Spacing: Sow seeds 1/2″ apart in rows 24″ apart. When plants are 2″ tall, thin to 6″ for small heads (and dwarf varieties) and 12″ for full-size heads. For baby salad greens, do not thin (harvested leaves will regrow for continual harvest).

Growing in Containers: No garden? No problem! Lettuce is well-suited to containers that are a minimum of 6-8 inches in diameter. Also suitable for barrels and raised beds – think Square Foot Gardening!

Fertilizing (Containers): Add 25% quality compost, such as Sea Soil, to the potting mix. Fertilize weekly with a higher-nitrogen organic plant food such as fish-based fertilizer.

Watering (Containers): Water containers deeply when the top inch feels dry to the touch. Monitor every day or two during very hot weather.

Growing in Mixed Planters: Only larger mixed planters.

Fertilizing (Garden): Amend garden soil with quality compost such as Sea Soil. Application of Sea Magic kelp every two weeks will result in healthier and more prolific crops.

Watering (Garden): Water young plants regularly to establish, then water deeply as conditions require.

Companion Planting: Planting lettuce between rows of corn will provide some shelter from the heat and sun.

Notes: Mulch plants in summer to keep the soil cool.

Suitability for Indoors: Well-suited for indoors – especially for baby greens – provided a sunny location.

Exposure: Full sun or grow lights.

What about Grow Lights? T5 full-spectrum lights are ideal for this crop.

General Indoor Care: Sow fresh seeds indoors in the fall.

Indoor Container Suggestions: Minimum 6″ container – bowl planters are ideal. Try shallow bulb pans or recycled grocery containers with drainage holes punched out.

Special Instructions: Indoor lettuce should be treated more as a loose leaf, cut-and-come-again crop… don’t expect to grow full-sized heads. However, as a baby crop, it works really well!