Lettuce love being grown in raised beds because the open soil structure is ideal for them. They also are not particularly picky about feeding as long as minimal feeds are given. But for good lettuces to grow, they need a lot of water and a spot that keeps them out of direct sunlight from early May on. Lettuce grow best in cool well-watered situations.
Lettuce is a cool-season staple that’s easy to tuck into any vegetable garden. Getting the spacing right ensures your lettuce plants have room to reach their full potential This guide covers everything you need to know about how far apart to plant lettuce varieties in raised beds for bountiful harvests
Why Raised Beds Are Great For Growing Lettuce
Raised garden beds offer key advantages for growing lettuce
- Better drainage and air circulation around roots
- Warmer soil temperatures in spring
- More precise soil preparation and fertilization
- Easier to protect from pests with covers
- Convenient for harvesting at waist height
Raised beds also allow for intensive planting, maximizing productivity in a small space. Optimizing lettuce spacing makes the most of this prime real estate.
Lettuce Spacing Guidelines
Lettuce comes in a diverse range of shapes, sizes, and growth habits. Match spacing to the mature dimensions of your variety. Looseleaf types need less room than large heading lettuces.
Here are recommended spacing guidelines:
- Looseleaf varieties – Space 6-8 inches apart
- Butterhead lettuce – Space 10-12 inches apart
- Romaine lettuce – Space 10-12 inches apart
- Summer crisp lettuce – Space 12-14 inches apart
- Iceberg lettuce – Space 14-18 inches apart
These ranges provide enough elbow room for full size development. Check seed packets too, as spacing suggestions may vary slightly between lettuce varieties.
In-Row Versus Block Spacing
There are two main ways to arrange your lettuce:
In Rows
- Standard rows with lettuces spaced down each row
- Distance between rows depends on variety size
- Makes it easy to cultivate or mulch between rows
Block Spacing
- Lettuce plants arranged in grid pattern
- Eliminates open aisles between rows
- More plants packed into bed for higher yields
Both work well. Choose the method that best suits your raised bed layout and access needs. Avoid overcrowding which stresses plants.
Optimizing Growth Through Proper Thinning
Lettuce can be sown densely when seeds are started or transplanted as seedlings. But thinning is crucial. Here’s how to thin for optimal health:
- Identify final spacing for your variety
- Gradually thin seedlings over 2-3 weeks
- Thinning should occur when plants have 3-4 true leaves
- Use scissors to clip extra plants at soil level
- Take care not to disturb remaining seedling roots
Thinning prevents plants from competing for light, water, and nutrients. It results in fewer but larger, healthier lettuce plants.
Interplanting Lettuce Among Other Crops
In addition to planting lettuce in solid blocks or rows, I also tuck it between and around other vegetables. Its quick growth suits interplanting.
Some combinations that work well:
- Radishes mixed with lettuce help mark lettuce rows.
- Lettuce underplanted between wide rows of broccoli or cauliflower.
- Mixed baby greens sown between carrots.
- Salad greens edged along sides of trellised crops like peas or cucumbers.
Take care not to overshadow lettuce with tall companion plants. But some moderate intermixing makes good use of space.
Should You Grow Lettuce in Containers?
Lettuce is also an excellent candidate for container growing. As a shallow-rooted crop, it adapts well to pots and planters, freeing up raised bed space for deep rooting plants.
Here are container lettuce planting tips:
- Use a 12-16 inch diameter pot for one lettuce plant
- For mixed lettuces, use at least a 20 inch wide planter
- Match lettuce spacing to container dimensions
- Ensure container depth is at least 6 inches for roots
- Use a premium potting mix for drainage
- Site containers in full sun
With good light and regular watering, container-grown lettuce thrives!
How Planting Density Affects Lettuce Growth
Finally, planting density impacts several aspects of your lettuce crop:
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Thinner planting = faster growth, bigger plants, higher yields per plant. More prone to bolting once mature.
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Dense planting = slower growth, smaller plants, lower yield per plant but higher total yield per space. Slower to bolt.
I suggest experimenting to see what works best for different varieties in your climate and season. Just be sure not to cram plants as this invites disease issues.
The Right Spacing Lets Your Lettuce Shine
Lettuce is simple to tuck into any raised bed garden. Optimizing the spacing maximizes your harvest, so don’t be shy about thinning young plants. Delicious homegrown lettuce will reward your efforts. Adjust spacing and density over time to find the sweet spot. Soon your raised beds will be churning out salad greens and more!
VARIETIES OF LETTUCE RAISED BED AND CONTAINERS
Taste and space are the keywords when selecting lettuce varieties for growing in a raised bed / container. You want the maximum crop with good taste (and sometimes colour) in the smallest amount of space.
The seed catalogues list a huge variety of lettuce seeds and the choice can be almost overwhelming. Which type of lettuce you grow in your raised bed or container is up to you, but we strongly advise that you grow a compact, small type.
Our recommendations are Little Gem and Lobjoits Green (both cos type lettuce) and Tom Thumb. All have good taste and are compact growing lettuce.
WHEN TO SOW LETTUCE RAISED BEDS / CONTAINERS
Start planting lettuce in raised beds or containers at the end of March or beginning of April in cooler places. Should you plant all of your lettuce seeds at once, you will have a bumper crop with too much lettuce for ten days and then nothing. Instead, sow a few seeds each week so that they don’t all mature at the same time. You can continue to sow lettuce up until mid August but see our advice in the next section.
When you’re done picking the lettuce, pack down the soil where it was and plant some more lettuce seeds where it was. Doing this you can get two or three crops of lettuce from the same area within a season. A very economical use of valuable space.
How to Grow Lettuce // Seed to Harvest // Complete Growing Guide
FAQ
What happens if you plant lettuce too close together?
What is the best spacing for lettuce plants?
What is the best lettuce for raised garden?
How far apart should lettuce be planted?
As a basic guideline, lettuce should be spaced 20cm to 25cm (8-10 inches) apart. However, this spacing can vary depending on the variety you are growing: Heading lettuce, such as iceberg, should have 25cm to 30cm (10-12 inches) between the mature plants. This also includes other varieties that have large round heads, which require a lot of space.
How many rows of lettuce should be planted in a raised bed?
For cultivating lettuce, Coleman generally suggests a 42 inch strip that contains a 12 inch path and 3 rows of lettuce in the remaining 30 inches. Check out this video for a visual of Elliot Coleman’s growing method. When growing lettuce in a raised bed, the plant spacing is generally the same as in garden.
How far apart should romaine lettuce be planted?
You’ll find specific variety spacing listed on the seed packet, but generally a spacing of ten to twelve inches is best. If you want small-sized heads of baby lettuce, space the plants six to eight inches apart. This technique works well for romaine lettuce which then forms compact heads just six to eight inches tall.
How do you plant lettuce in a garden?
By spacing the plants properly, you can reduce the risk of your plants becoming diseased. Easier to harvest – Proper spacing makes lettuces easier to get in between the rows to harvest. Plant lettuce seeds directly in the garden or in a seed tray about an inch (2.5 cm) apart.
