Too late for lettuce?

[Dixana]

I'm in WI, zone 4, and want to plant some 60 days buttercrunch lettuce. There's a slight chance we may have a frost by then. Is that ok or would I be wasting my time?

[Anna63]

I think it is too late, because I read somewhere that seeds must be plant in early spring as soon as soil can be worked.

[TWC015]

I think your lettuce would do fine now. Lettuce is frost tolerant and will tolerate temperatures at least in the upper 20s.

[gumbo2176]

Dixiana, if you go with a leaf type lettuce, you should be able to get a good bit off of it before the frost hits. My lettuce survived 4 days of below freezing temps. last winter, which is a rarity since I live in New Orleans. The only thing that got to them is when the temperatures got warm enough for them to bolt. I don't usuallyplant heading type lettuce since they are one and done, but this year I will put in some Romaine since my wife loves Caesar Salads.

[applestar]

Lettuce can be harvested at any stage after the leaves are big enough to be a satisfying mouthful. So I wouldn't call it too late. They may not grow up to make heads, but you'd still have lettuce. I hardly ever harvest entire heads anyway. Too much to finish off while still fresh.

Be prepared with hoops or other supports (wire fencing bent in an arch works too. Ozark Lady uses flexible tubing to provide a bit more support - I'm adapting the idea with old garden hose) and floating row covers to extend the season a little bit more. If you have the room, I've heard that surrounding the garden bed with hay bales as wind break and insulation works really well.

[garden5]

Lettuce stands up well to frost. Go ahead and plant it. Lettuce is grown as both an early spring crop and a fall crop. I've even had lettuce grow under the snow all winter and come up in the spring. .