Plant Lettuce in Zone 11a
Seed-starting, transplant & harvest dates for USDA Zone 11a
Zone 11a is effectively frost-free, so the Zone 11a calendar for lettuce is set by heat, not cold. There is no last frost to count backward from and no first frost to beat, which means the question is not whether lettuce will finish but whether it will sit through the hottest stretch of the year. Lettuce is a hardy crop needing about 50 days from sowing to harvest.
Planting lettuce for a fall harvest in Zone 11a
Zone 11a has no meaningful frost, so the fall and winter months are the easiest time of year to grow lettuce here. Sow from about October 1 onward.
Lettuce bolts in heat. Fall sowings ripen into cooling weather instead of out of it, which is why fall lettuce is usually the better crop.
Fall dates are counted backward from the Zone 11a average first frost, not forward from a sowing date. See the fall planting calendar by zone for the full method.
Spring vs fall lettuce in Zone 11a
| Planting | Sow or start | In the ground | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | Mar 23 |
| Fall | Oct onward | Oct onward | Winter |
Lettuce in nearby zones
Further reading on lettuce
- Cold frame gardening by zone
How a cold frame keeps lettuce producing into winter, and when to sow it.
- When to start seeds indoors by zone
Indoor start dates for lettuce, counted back from your last frost.
- Hardening off seedlings: a schedule
A day by day plan for moving lettuce seedlings outdoors.
Other crops in Zone 11a
Frequently asked questions
When should I start lettuce in Zone 11a?
Direct sow outdoors around Feb 1.
Can I direct sow lettuce in Zone 11a?
Yes, direct sow around Feb 1.
Can I plant lettuce in the fall in Zone 11a?
Zone 11a has no meaningful frost, so the fall and winter months are the easiest time of year to grow lettuce here. Sow from about October 1 onward.
Will lettuce survive frost in Zone 11a?
Lettuce is a hardy crop and keeps going roughly 14 days past the first light frost in Zone 11a. A row cover or a straw mulch buys more.