Do you want to grow lettuce seeds in Iowa, but don’t know when to start them?
Whether growing indoors or in a garden, starting lettuce seeds is not as easy as it seems.
Here’s why:
- Lettuce Seeds must be consistently watered, receive at least 8 hours of sunlight a day, & be kept at room temperature of at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
So if you don’t consistently water them they won’t germinate. If they aren’t in a room that is at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit they won’t sprout. And if it receives 8 hours of sunlight the plant itself won’t grow.
- Because Iowa’s growing season is not long enough, lettuce seeds cannot be sowed outside and should only be started indoors.
Because of this, I’m going to teach you the ideal time to start lettuce seeds indoors in Iowa:
- To Learn More About HOW to Grow Lettuce, Check Out This GUIDE!
When to Start Lettuce Seeds Indoors
Depending on the type of lettuce, it takes roughly 40-60 days (6 to 8 weeks) to grow lettuce from seed indoors before you can transplant them into your garden.
The approximate date of when you should start your lettuce seeds indoors can be found by:
- Finding the last average frost date HERE
- And then subtract 60 days from it
You can also find the average last frost date for most major cities in the below chart that I have created:
To help ensure the greatest success of your lettuce seeds germinating you should:
- Use a heat mat to ensure the gardening pot remains at 70 degrees Fahrenheit
- Use a grow light to control how much light your lettuce seeds receive
- Water your seeds with a spray bottle to ensure your seeds are not overwatered
Once your seedlings are ready, you can read how to transplant your plant HERE.
- Related: Here is the BEST Time to Plant Lettuce in a Garden in Iowa
- Related: Here is the BEST Time to Fertilize Lettuce in Iowa
- Related: Here is the BEST Time to Harvest Lettuce in Iowa
It should also be noted that you will not want to introduce your lettuce plants into your garden until 2 weeks after your last frost or else your plant will potentially die or not bear vegetables.
If you want to learn WHEN to start ANY Vegetable Seed in Iowa, head over to HERE and just type in the vegetable you want to grow.
