馃ガ Lettuce 路 December
Whether December works depends on which corner of the country you鈥檙e standing in. Here鈥檚 the per-city read, sowing, transplanting and harvesting, plus the spacing, the timing and the family-of-four maths.
Days to harvest
45-70 days
Spacing
25 cm
Cities sowing in December
1
Hobart
Family of 4
Plant 8-12 plants in succession for a family of 4; succession sow every 3 weeks for continuous supply
December in summer is one of twelve windows the Australian year offers, and whether you can plant lettuce this month depends on which corner of the country you're standing in. Below is the per-city read: where lettuce is being sown from seed, where it's going in as seedlings, and where it's already being harvested.
Sowing lettuce from seed in December: Hobart. No major Australian city is transplanting lettuce seedlings in December. Harvesting lettuce in December: Sydney, Hobart, Canberra.
Across Australia's climate zones, lettuce keeps to tropical, april-august (cool season only); subtropical, march-september; temperate, february-may, august-november; cool, september-april (spring through autumn); arid, march-september. December sits inside that window for none of the five climate zones, on the broad rules. The longer version, including the climate-zone-by-zone breakdown, lives on the Lettuce growing guide.
Lettuce is one of the easiest and most rewarding crops for Australian raised bed gardeners. It prefers cool weather and will bolt (run to seed) quickly in temperatures above 25掳C, so timing is everything. In most Australian climates, autumn through spring is the prime lettuce season.
If you're planting lettuce this December, the bed prep is the same as any other month: a 30 cm-deep raised bed worked through with compost, spacing of 25 cm between plants, and partial shade to full sun, afternoon shade in summer. The crop takes 45-70 days, which means a December planting will be ready around February. Use the raised bed calculator to size the bed and the companion planting guide to fill it out.
For a household of four, Plant 8-12 plants in succession for a family of 4; succession sow every 3 weeks for continuous supply Expected yield is 200-500g per plant (heading); ongoing for cut-and-come-again.
The December lettuce read changes city by city. The list above is the high-level signal; for the exact dates and bed-by-bed planting plan, the Plant Planner lettuce module reads your postcode and your bed dimensions and does the rest of the maths.
Whether December works for lettuce depends on your climate zone. The planting windows are: tropical, april-august (cool season only); subtropical, march-september; temperate, february-may, august-november; cool, september-april (spring through autumn); arid, march-september. In December specifically, the broad rules suggest it's a planting month in none of the five climate zones, on the broad rules.
Lettuce takes 45-70 days. A December planting will be ready around February. For loose-leaf varieties, harvest outer leaves continuously, leaving the growing centre intact. For heading types, harvest the whole head when firm. Harvest in the morning for maximum crispness. Bolting plants (elongated central stem) taste bitter, harvest immediately or compost them.
Plant 8-12 plants in succession for a family of 4; succession sow every 3 weeks for continuous supply Yield expectation: 200-500g per plant (heading); ongoing for cut-and-come-again.
Partial shade to full sun, afternoon shade in summer. Regular, keep consistently moist but not waterlogged. Soil pH 6.0-7.0. Spacing 25 cm between plants, 30 cm between rows.
The planner reads your postcode and your bed, picks the right window, and emails the reminders the weekend before each task.
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