When to plant Lettuce in Subtropical Australia

Subtropical zone — applies to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Coffs Harbour, Lismore and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Cool · Tropical · Arid.

Lettuce can be sown direct in any month of the year in the subtropical zone — one of the few crops with a genuinely year-round window here. Sow shallow at 5 mm, expect seedlings within six to twelve days, and full-sized heads 60–90 days later. The honest caveat is that "can sow" is not "equally easy": winter and the shoulder seasons are effortless in Brisbane, while the December–February wet demands afternoon shade, heat-tolerant loose-leaf varieties and a tolerance for losing the odd plant to bolting. Space plants 20–30 cm apart each way, or broadcast thickly for cut-and-come-again leaves.

Sowing calendar — subtropical zone

Green months are your sowing window: January to December.

Growing notes

Lettuce is rated hardy, and the mild subtropical winter proves it — June and July sowings on the Sunshine Coast grow slowly but faultlessly, free of the pests and diseases of summer. The crop's whole difficulty is compressed into the hot months. Heat pushes lettuce to bolt, throwing up a bitter flower stalk, and humidity rots the dense hearts of iceberg-style varieties from the inside out. The summer playbook: switch to open loose-leaf and oakleaf types, sow small amounts every fortnight instead of one big bed, position plants where they get afternoon shade or under 30 per cent shadecloth, and harvest young.

Summer sets a subtler trap too. Lettuce seed goes dormant in hot soil, so a January sowing that never appears hasn't necessarily rotted — it simply refused to start. Sow in the cool of evening, water with cool water and shade the bed until emergence, and germination recovers.

Steady moisture is the difference between sweet and bitter leaves in any season; lettuce is shallow-rooted and registers every dry spell. Mulch lightly and water little and often rather than deeply and rarely. After storm rain, patrol at dusk for slugs and snails — in a wet Lismore summer they can level a seedling bed overnight.

Lettuce at a glance

Companion planting

Grows well with

Peas: Peas fix nitrogen for lettuce; provide light shade in summer

Carrot: Carrots loosen soil; lettuce shades soil keeping it moist

Radish: Classic pairing — radish harvested before lettuce needs space

Common questions

Can I grow lettuce in summer in Brisbane?

Yes — lettuce can be sown every month of the year in the subtropics — but summer needs tactics: loose-leaf varieties rather than hearting types, afternoon shade, fortnightly small sowings and young harvesting before heat turns leaves bitter.

Why has my lettuce turned bitter?

Bitterness comes with bolting or stress — heat and dry spells are the usual triggers in the subtropics. Keep water consistent, give summer plants shade and harvest before the flower stalk starts to rise.

Why won't my lettuce seed germinate in summer?

Lettuce seed goes dormant in hot soil rather than sprouting. Sow in the cool of evening at just 5 mm deep, water with cool water and shade the bed until seedlings emerge.

How long does lettuce take to grow?

Seedlings appear within six to twelve days and full-sized plants take 60–90 days, though loose-leaf types can be picked leaf-by-leaf well before that.

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