How to Grow Butter Lettuce

Prepare the soil for your butter lettuce bed with compost if it is heavy or mix in 3 or 4 lbs. of 5-10-10 fertilizer to every 100 square feet of garden space. Work the soil well to a fine texture. Butter lettuce grows best in loose, sandy loam soils with a slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Contact your local county extension service to find out how to test your soil.

Make shallow, parallel trenches with your finger in the soil. Space the trenches 24 inches apart. Sow the tiny butter lettuce seeds evenly down the length of the trench. Another method is to make broad, shallow rows that are about a foot wide and broadcast the seeds across them. Cover the seeds with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil and pat firm. Mist the soil well, but do not drench.

Thin the butterhead lettuce when sprouts are about 2 inches tall. Select the largest plants and leave 6 to 10 inches between them in the rows.

Mulch the lettuce plants with an organic mulch to keep weeds and soil temperatures down. This will also prevent evaporation of the soil moisture. Pull weeds as they appear.

Water the lettuce bed lightly but frequently to keep the lettuce bed moist but not soggy throughout the growing cycle.

Treat diseases or insect infestations as soon as you detect them. Contact your local county extension office for identification and recommendations for pests in your area.

Harvest the butter lettuce when the leaves begin to cup inward, forming the loose head. It should still be soft and green. The size depends on the variety you plant, so check the seed packet for expected size. Carefully remove the outer leaves from the head and slide a knife under it. Cut it about an inch above the surface of the ground. Leave the root system intact because a second head may grow there.