When to plant lettuce
The rule
Days to maturity: 60–85 days [src]
Method: Start indoors or direct-sow. Frost tolerance: frost-hardy (derived from the planting timing above).
Because lettuce is frost-hardy and matures in about 60–85 days, it's a strong fall crop — sow it in mid-to-late summer so it finishes before your first frost.
Lettuce planting dates by hardiness zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Transplant / sow | Sow for fall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2a | March 19 – March 26 | April 16 – April 30 | May 24 – June 7 |
| Zone 2b | March 27 – April 3 | April 24 – May 8 | June 1 – June 15 |
| Zone 3b | March 22 – March 29 | April 19 – May 3 | June 5 – June 19 |
| Zone 4a | March 16 – March 23 | April 13 – April 27 | June 13 – June 27 |
| Zone 4b | March 12 – March 19 | April 9 – April 23 | June 16 – June 30 |
| Zone 5a | March 14 – March 21 | April 11 – April 25 | June 17 – July 1 |
| Zone 5b | March 6 – March 13 | April 3 – April 17 | June 24 – July 8 |
| Zone 6a | March 2 – March 9 | March 30 – April 13 | July 1 – July 15 |
| Zone 6b | February 23 – March 2 | March 23 – April 6 | July 6 – July 20 |
| Zone 7a | February 15 – February 22 | March 15 – March 29 | July 12 – July 26 |
| Zone 7b | February 6 – February 13 | March 6 – March 20 | July 18 – August 1 |
| Zone 8a | January 26 – February 2 | February 23 – March 9 | July 25 – August 8 |
| Zone 8b | January 16 – January 23 | February 13 – February 27 | August 1 – August 15 |
| Zone 9a | January 2 – January 9 | January 30 – February 13 | August 11 – August 25 |
| Zone 9b | December 5 – December 12 | January 2 – January 16 | August 24 – September 7 |
| Zone 10a | November 17 – November 24 | December 15 – December 29 | August 18 – September 1 |
| Zone 10b | November 22 – November 29 | December 20 – January 3 | October 11 – October 25 |
What you'll need
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Seed-starting traysBurpee SuperSeed 36-cell trayReusable cells that pop seedlings out with the roots intact at transplant time.See it on Amazon- Seed-starting mixEspoma Organic Seed StarterA fine, sterile mix so small seeds can push through and seedlings don't rot.See it on Amazon
- Shade cloth40% shade cloth, 6.5 × 10 ftCuts midsummer heat so cool-season sowings don't bolt or fail to sprout.See it on Amazon
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Calendar computed 2026-09-27. Sources: University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension — “Growing Vegetables: When to Plant Your Vegetable Garden”; University of Georgia Extension — Vegetable Planting Chart (Circular C963) (days to maturity); NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 Climate Normals (frost); USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map.