When to Plant Lettuce in Canberra, Cold / Highland Guide
Sow August to April. Right now in September you can sow.
Grow Lettuce in your space
- Planting window
- October-March. Short but productive season. Start in trays under cover from September.
- Days to harvest
- 30 days
- Sunlight
- Full sun in cool seasons. Part shade essential in warm zones and during warm months to delay bolting.
- Water needs
- Light, frequent watering to keep soil consistently moist. Shallow roots dry out quickly...
- Spacing
- 25cm apart, 30cm between rows
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.0
Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
This Lettuce guide is written for the Cold / Highland zone, which takes in Canberra, Cooma and Bright. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Lettuce is the most commonly grown salad green in Australian home gardens. Available in four main types: crisphead (iceberg), cos/romaine, butterhead, and loose-leaf. It is a cool-season crop that bolts rapidly in heat, making variety selection and planting timing critical. Fast-growing (4-8 weeks to harvest) and adaptable to containers, garden beds, and even part shade.
Planting Calendar for Cold / Highland
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | - | - | - | S | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | S/T/D |
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
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Current Growing Conditions
Soil temperature: 12.9°C (optimal range: 5–25°C) ✓ Ready to plant
Modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Canberra), not a live sensor.
How to Grow Lettuce in Cold / Highland Australia
When to Plant
October-March. Short but productive season. Start in trays under cover from September.
- Soil
- Light, well-drained soil enriched with compost. Lettuce has shallow roots and prefers loose, friable soil.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun in cool seasons. Part shade essential in warm zones and during warm months to delay bolting.
- Spacing
- 25cm apart, 30cm between rows
- Watering
- Light, frequent watering to keep soil consistently moist. Shallow roots dry out quickly. Morning watering preferred. Drip irrigation or soaker hose ideal. Avoid overhead watering to prevent disease.
Companion plants: Carrot, Radish, Strawberry, Chive, Onion, Marigold
Avoid planting near: Celery (some allelopathic evidence), Parsley (competes for same nutrients)
Cold / Highland Growing Tips for Lettuce
Recommended Varieties
- Winter Density
- All Year Round
- Cos
- Buttercrunch
Key Challenges
- Frost kills young plants
- Short growing season
- Slow growth in cool temperatures
Pro Tips
- Start seedlings in greenhouse or cold frame
- Frost cloth extends season by weeks at both ends
- Direct sow after last frost for simplicity
Harvesting Lettuce
When ready: Loose-leaf: when leaves are 10-15cm (baby) or 20cm+ (full size). Heading types: when head is firm and full-sized. Cos: when upright head is dense. Harvest before any signs of flower stalk elongation (bolting).
How to harvest: Cut-and-come-again: cut outer leaves at base for loose-leaf types. Whole head: cut at soil level with sharp knife in cool of morning. For cos, can harvest outer leaves or whole head.
Common Lettuce Pests in Cold / Highland Zones
Organic prevention (Aphids): Grow Nasonovia-resistant varieties (Nr gene). Avoid excess nitrogen. Check seedlings before planting. Floating row covers.
Where to next
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Open the planting dashboard Join GardenBuddy.auCommon Questions About Lettuce
When do you plant lettuce in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Mar to Jun
- Subtropical (Brisbane): all year
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): all year
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): all year
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jan to Apr, Aug to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Feb to Oct
- Mediterranean (Perth): all year
Does lettuce grow all year round in Canberra?
No. In the Cold / Highland zone the planting months are Jan to Apr, Aug to Dec. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cold / Highland zone, Canberra is its reference city.