Crop timing
When to sow lettuce in the UK
The short answer, on 26 October
Sow a winter variety now. The RHS sows winter lettuce such as ‘Winter Density’ in September or October for a spring harvest. Summer lettuce sown now is racing the frost; the table below shows how tight it is.
Lettuce is quick, so the answer is “little and often”: the RHS sows a short row every fortnight from late March to late July. Winter varieties extend it into autumn for a spring crop.
The lettuce year at a glance
From Vercro's crop catalogue, a national UK calendar in whole months. The underlined month is this one. Where you live moves these edges by a few weeks either way.
| Window | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettuce: sow indoorsFebruary to March | January: no | February: yes | March: yes | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Lettuce: sow outsideMarch to September | January: no | February: no | March: yes | April: yes | May: yes | June: yes | July: yes | August: yes | September: yes | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Lettuce: harvestApril to November | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: yes | May: yes | June: yes | July: yes | August: yes | September: yes | October: yes | November: yes | December: no |
| Winter lettuce: sow indoorsAugust to September | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: yes | September: yes | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Winter lettuce: harvestNovember to March | January: yes | February: yes | March: yes | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: yes | December: yes |
Growing time in the catalogue: 45 to 65 days from sowing. Family: Asteraceae.
Is it too late? It depends on your first frost
The same catalogue, run through the same code as the Vercro app, for three first-frost dates. “Should finish” means even the slow end of the growing time is done before the frost. Across 1050 UK gardens in Vercro the typical first autumn air frost ranges from about 4 November to 22 November (Met Office records), and in any one year it can come weeks earlier.
| If your first frost is usually around | Last sowing that should finish | Possible only at its fastest |
|---|---|---|
| 20 October | 16 August | 5 September |
| 5 November | 1 September | 21 September |
| 20 November | 16 September | 30 September |
Your dates
Add your postcode for your area's usual frost dates, and what they mean for lettuce.
Want every crop at once, or a greenhouse? Open the full sowing tool.
What changes the answer
Heat
Heat stops lettuce seed germinating. In summer, sow in the evening, water with cold water and shade the row.Summer or winter variety
Winter varieties sown in September or October stand through for spring. Summer varieties sown then race the frost.Your first frost
For late summer sowings the frost date decides it. The table above shows the difference a few weeks make.Cover
A cloche from late September keeps an August sowing going into early winter (RHS).
Where the sources differ
Vercro's catalogue and published advice, side by side
The main row agrees: the RHS sows outside from late March to late July. Vercro's catalogue continues outdoor sowing to September, which the RHS supports only for winter types or with cover.
For winter lettuce, the catalogue sows in August and September and harvests November to March. The RHS sows winter varieties in September or October for a spring harvest, and keeps early-winter leaves for an early-August sowing under cloches. The catalogue's midwinter harvest is more optimistic than the RHS.
Common timing mistakes
Sowing a whole packet at once
It all hearts up together and bolts together. Sow a short row every fortnight.Sowing in a heatwave
The seed won’t come up. Sow in the evening, water cold and shade.Summer varieties for winter
Use a winter variety for September and October sowings.Counting on a September summer sowing
With a first frost in October or early November, a summer lettuce sown in September may not finish. See the table above.
How Vercro handles this in a real garden
Vercro keeps each lettuce sowing separate on its bed. In the Garden plan, lettuce is offered for an empty bed while its window is open, and your location's frost date decides whether a late sowing is shown as having time, or only just.
Frequently asked questions
Keep going
Where this comes from
Crop windows, growing times and plant families come from Vercro's own curated crop catalogue, the same data the Vercro app uses. Where a published source says something different, we show both rather than choosing the convenient one. Reviewed 19 September 2026.
- Lettuce: grow your own, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
Keep your salad sowings in order
Add each sowing as you make it. Vercro keeps them separate on their beds and shows the few jobs that matter each morning.