very easy · windowsill

How to grow cut-and-come-again lettuce

Loose-leaf varieties let you harvest outer leaves repeatedly instead of taking the whole head, so one tray feeds you for weeks.

Lactuca sativa · Asteraceae

Why bother

Bagged salad is washed in chlorinated water and has a very short life. Leaves picked minutes before eating are a genuinely different thing.

What it needs

Light: 4-6 hours. Tolerates partial shade better than most crops, and prefers it in high summer.
Water: Consistently moist. Lettuce turns bitter and bolts if it dries out.
Soil: Multipurpose compost with good moisture retention.
Temperature: 10-20C. Struggles above about 25C, when it bolts.
Container: A wide, shallow trough at least 15cm deep works better than a deep pot.
Time to harvest: 4-5 weeks for baby leaves.
Best season to start: Best in spring and autumn; bolts in high summer heat. Year-round indoors.

Step by step

Day 0
Sow thinly
Scatter seed across damp compost and cover with 5mm. Lettuce seed needs light to germinate, so do not bury it deep.
Days 3-10
Keep cool and moist
Germination is fastest around 15-18C. Very warm spots suppress it.
Week 2
Thin to spacing
Thin to about 5cm apart for baby leaves. The thinnings are edible.
Week 4 onward
Harvest the outer leaves
Take outer leaves only, leaving the central growing point intact. Done properly this repeats for four to six weeks.

What usually goes wrong

Plant shoots upward and leaves turn bitter
Cause: Bolting, triggered by heat or drought stress.
Fix: Move somewhere cooler, keep water steady, and sow again — bolted lettuce does not recover.
Ragged holes in leaves overnight
Cause: Slugs or snails, even several floors up.
Fix: Check under the pot rim after dark and remove them by hand. A copper tape ring around the pot also works.

Grows well beside

Spring onions, Carrot

Before you eat anything you grow: be certain of the identification. This guide describes cut-and-come-again lettuce specifically — it is not a way to confirm that an unknown plant is safe. Never eat a plant on the strength of an app alone.

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What it needs

Light

4-6 hours. Tolerates partial shade better than most crops, and prefers it in high summer.

Water

Consistently moist. Lettuce turns bitter and bolts if it dries out.

Soil

Multipurpose compost with good moisture retention.

Temperature

10-20C. Struggles above about 25C, when it bolts.

Container

A wide, shallow trough at least 15cm deep works better than a deep pot.

Time to harvest

4-5 weeks for baby leaves.

Best season to start

Best in spring and autumn; bolts in high summer heat. Year-round indoors.

Step by step

Day 0

Sow thinly

Scatter seed across damp compost and cover with 5mm. Lettuce seed needs light to germinate, so do not bury it deep.

Days 3-10

Keep cool and moist

Germination is fastest around 15-18C. Very warm spots suppress it.

Week 2

Thin to spacing

Thin to about 5cm apart for baby leaves. The thinnings are edible.

Week 4 onward

Harvest the outer leaves

Take outer leaves only, leaving the central growing point intact. Done properly this repeats for four to six weeks.

What usually goes wrong

Plant shoots upward and leaves turn bitter

Cause: Bolting, triggered by heat or drought stress.

Fix: Move somewhere cooler, keep water steady, and sow again — bolted lettuce does not recover.

Ragged holes in leaves overnight

Cause: Slugs or snails, even several floors up.

Fix: Check under the pot rim after dark and remove them by hand. A copper tape ring around the pot also works.