How to Harvest Lettuce: Leaf Cut-and-Come-Again and Heads
Harvest leaf lettuce at 4 to 6 inches by cutting outer leaves. Cut head lettuce at the base when the head is firm, usually 45 to 55 days after sowing.
Published by ThriveThyme
lettuce harvest fall planting
How to Harvest Lettuce
Harvest leaf lettuce when leaves are 4 to 6 inches long. Take the outer leaves and let the center keep growing, or cut the whole plant about 1 inch above the soil and let it regrow once or twice. Harvest head lettuce (iceberg, romaine, butterhead) when the head feels full and firm, usually 45 to 55 days after sowing. Always pick in the morning when leaves are crisp and cool.
Heat makes lettuce bitter and pushes it to bolt (send up a flower stalk). Harvest as soon as a stalk starts to rise. See the lettuce plant page and when to plant fall lettuce.
Leaf Lettuce
- Start picking at 4 inches. Do not wait for a head.
- Take a few outer leaves per plant, two to three times a week.
- Or shear the row 1 inch up. Water well; a second flush often comes in 10 to 14 days.
- Stop when leaves taste bitter or the center stretches tall.
Head Lettuce
- Romaine: harvest when the head is elongated and the heart feels dense, often 50 to 60 days.
- Butterhead: harvest when the center leaves form a loose, soft head.
- Iceberg: harvest when the head is round and firm. It needs more cool weather than leaf types.
- Cut at soil level. Head lettuce does not reliably regrow.
Fall Harvest Window
Fall lettuce is sweeter than spring lettuce because nights are cool. In zone 6, an early September sowing is ready in October. In zone 7, mid September sowings harvest into November. A light frost is fine. A hard freeze damages leaves. Row cover (a light garden fabric) can add 1 to 2 weeks.
Next Steps
If it is mid August, sow fall lettuce now in zones 3 to 6, and wait until September in zones 7 to 8. Keep the seedbed moist and shaded until germination. Pair with fall kale and fall spinach.