- Lettuce Varieties | Quick-Reference Comparison Chart (PDF)
- Video: How to Grow Lettuce • From Seed to Harvest
- Video: High-Value Crops & Varieties for Your Garden • Tutorial with Niki Jabbour
- Video: Baby Leaf Greens: 12 Picks for Market Growers | Johnny's Webinar Series
- How to Choose & Grow the Best Lettuce | Tips for Every Grower
- Salanova Lettuce | Cutter Tool | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Video: One-Cut Lettuces: Insights & Techniques for Small Farms | Johnny's Webinar Series
- Baby Leaf Lettuce | Variety Comparison Chart (PDF)
- Winter Growing | Recommended Crops & Varieties
- Baby Leaf Greens: 12 Picks for Market Growers | Johnny's Educational Webinar Resources
- Baby Leaf Greens & Baby Leaf Lettuce | Technical Production Guide
- Full-Size Romaine (Cos) Lettuce Varieties | Comparison Chart (PDF)
- Growing Mini versus Full-size Head Lettuce | A Look at the ROI
- Lettuce & Greens for Southern Growers | Johnny's Educational Webinar Resources
- Johnny's Planting & Harvesting Programs
- One-Cut Lettuces | Johnny's Educational Webinar Resources
- Salanova Lettuce | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Video: Beat the Heat: Lettuce & Greens for Southern Growers | Johnny's Webinar Series
- Video: Salanova Lettuce | Growing, Preparing & Marketing
- Salanova Variety & Collection Specifications | 4-pp Brochure (PDF)
- Pelleted Lettuce | Key Growing Information
- Kolibri: Mini-Head Bibb Lettuce Variety
- Webinar Slide Deck | One-Cut Lettuces: Insights & Techniques for Small Farms | 60-pp PDF
- One-Cut Lettuce Varieties | How We Trial & Select the Best | 2-pp Insert (PDF)
- Lettuce | Full Head Varieties | Succession Planting Program
- Lettuce | Key Growing Information
- Webinar Slide Deck | Lettuce & Greens for Southern Growers | PDF
- Full-size Leaf Lettuce Varieties | Comparison Chart (PDF)
- Salad Mixes & Microgreens Mixes | 2-pp Spec Sheet (PDF)
- Lettuce | Full-Head Varieties | Comparison Chart / Planting Program (PDF)
- Video: Baby Leaf Harvester for Greens, Mesclun, Spinach, Lettuces & Tender Aromatics
- Video: The Advantages of Salanova® Lettuce | Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Prismatic Mini-Head Lettuce Mix from Johnny's
- Individual Salanova® Varieties | Comparison Chart (PDF)
Johnny's Head Lettuce Planting Program
Succession Planting & Season Extension for Head Lettuce
Johnny's Head Lettuce Planting Program is designed to take the guesswork out of your lettuce succession planting and production, allowing you to more easily extend your harvest across your growing seasons.
Full-sized heads of lettuce are an essential product to have on hand, whether at home, at market, for CSA shares, or the farmstand. Variety selection is key in providing your customers with a continuous supply. To develop your production strategy, use the recommended program outlined below as a guide to choosing early season, mid season, and late season head lettuce varieties. We also offer recommendations based on our trials for all-season/year-round head lettuce production.
See also our notes on heat tolerance and lettuce downy mildew.
Johnny's Planting Programs
- Broccoli • Standard Heading Varieties • Planting Program
- Broccoli • Mini & Sprouting Varieties • Planting Program
- Brussels Sprouts • Planting/Harvesting Program
- Cauliflower • Planting Program
- Leeks • Planting/Harvesting Program
- Lettuce • Full-size Head Varieties • Planting Program
- Lettuce • Full-size Head Varieties • Planting Program Comparison Chart • PDF Version
- Radicchio • Planting Program
- Radish • Specialty & Daikon Varieties • Planting Program
- Spinach • Planting Program
- View ALL Planting Programs…
Early Season Head Lettuce Varieties
- Plant in cool weather (early spring) for harvesting in warm weather (late spring and early summer).
- Varieties are selected for quick growth so they develop full heads.
SOWING & HARVESTING PERIODS
Cool /
Early Spring
Early Spring
Warm /
Late Spring
Late Spring
Warm /
Early Summer
Early Summer
Hot /
Mid & Late Summer
Mid & Late Summer
Cool /
Fall
Fall
SOWING
HARVESTING
Mid Season Head Lettuce Varieties
- Plant in warm weather (late spring and early summer) for harvesting in hot weather (mid and late summer).
- Varieties are selected for heat tolerance — i.e., resistance to bolting and tip burn.
SOWING & HARVESTING PERIODS
Cool /
Early Spring
Early Spring
Warm /
Late Spring
Late Spring
Warm /
Early Summer
Early Summer
Hot /
Mid & Late Summer
Mid & Late Summer
Cool /
Fall
Fall
SOWING
HARVESTING
Late Season Head Lettuce Varieties
- Plant in hot weather (late summer), up to 60 days before first frost, for harvesting in cool weather (fall).
- Varieties are selected for disease resistance and cold tolerance.
SOWING & HARVESTING PERIODS
Cool /
Early Spring
Early Spring
Warm /
Late Spring
Late Spring
Warm /
Early Summer
Early Summer
Hot /
Mid & Late Summer
Mid & Late Summer
Cool /
Fall
Fall
SOWING
HARVESTING
All-Season/Year-Round Head Lettuce Varieties
- Planting in any season, with best chances of success and consistency.
- Varieties are selected for their adaptability under varying conditions.
SOWING & HARVESTING PERIODS
Cool /
Early Spring
Early Spring
Warm /
Late Spring
Late Spring
Warm /
Early Summer
Early Summer
Hot /
Mid & Late Summer
Mid & Late Summer
Cool /
Fall
Fall
SOWING
HARVESTING
NOTES
Heat Tolerance
Even heat-tolerant varieties have upper limits of temperatures they can withstand. At lower latitudes and in geographic pockets of intense summer heat such as the South and Southwest, growers may suspend field planting of lettuce during the warmest part of the season.
Lettuce Downy Mildew
Cultivated lettuce is the main host of this pathogenic water mould (Bremia lactucae). With its multiple, ever-evolving races, it is most common where lettuce is grown intensively year-round and spreads readily during cool, damp weather. The spores are wind-dispersed and infect outer leaves first, but can spread rapidly in the field and post-harvest. For best success:
- Choose varieties with the highest, most comprehensive list of isolate resistances across the following ranges: EU 16–36 and US 5–9.
- Focus prevention and control measures on your riskiest planting slots (fall, early winter) and locations (tunnels, beneath row cover).
- Trial new varieties to determine best performance, as isolate pressure varies by region.