Is it possible to grow lettuce in summer?

That's one of the things I never understood—why there are sooo many tomatoes and cucumbers in summer, but so few of the leafy greens we like to eat them with. At least, not without another head of lettuce bolting each week as the weather goes from mild to hot. (Sometimes it feels like there's no in-between, right?)

Lettuce is notoriously tricky to grow in summer, and even if you do manage to nurture your lettuce through June or even July, you've probably eaten your share of bitter leaves.

Lettuce (like kale, cabbage, and other leafy greens) is a cool-season crop that actually tastes better after frost. That's right—you should actually be planting it mid-summer for a fall harvest. (Or let it reseed itself in fall, where it'll start growing in late winter and mature into the cooler days of spring.)

Most people, however, start lettuce as a spring crop and let it mature into the warmer days of summer, which immediately sends a memo to the plant to start producing seeds, even if it's technically too soon—a process that also renders the lettuce tough and bitter.

So what to do? Can we have our lettuce and eat it too?

Absolutely! You just have to grow the right type of lettuce—and have a few little tricks up your sleeve to make your lettuce think it's still spring (even if it approaches 95°F in summer where you are).

​Here's how you can grow lettuce in summer successfully, plus a complete list of heat-tolerant lettuce varieties to try.​

(And if you're wondering just how heat-tolerant these lettuces can be, I've grown tender, sweet-tasting lettuce through September using the methods I cover in that post!)

Seasonal tips

10 Heat-Tolerant Salad Greens to Grow All Summer Read more

Heat-Tolerant Vegetables and Herbs You Can Grow All Summer Long Read more

What To Do If Your Onions Are Flowering Read more

Florida Weave: A Better Way to Trellis Tomatoes Read more

How to Use Trap Crops to Control Pests in Your Garden Read more

Solarizing Your Garden: How to Use the Sun to Control Weeds and Pests in the Soil Read more

What's in my garden this year 👀

Every year I pull together a list of EVERYTHING I'm growing in my garden (everything edible, that is) and I just finished my 2026 grow list!​

You can see all the vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and fruits (with variety names) that I'm currently cultivating in zone 5. (The citrus trees all live inside my house or in our makeshift greenhouse.)

If you're curious what kind of stuff survives in a short-season climate and what I really, really love eating, head over to my list.

I really do pack a lot into our garden plot 😅 and each year, I keep thinking how else I can add another bed or two for overflow...

P.S. These are the best lettuce varieties to grow if you want to keep them going all summer long without bolting.

P.P.S. Nature Hills just gave me a 10% off code that doesn't expire! Use "NatureHillsGrow" for 10% off everything on their site. This is where I get shrubs and trees that I can't find locally.