Lettuce
Also called: خس · Khass
A pure winter crop. Sow October to January and never after mid-February, however pleasant the weather looks — it will bolt before it hearts.
The year at a glance
Each month is split in half. The outline marks now.
Stage by stage
Stage 1 of 7
Seed
Days 0–3
Seed
Days 0–3The seed sits in the soil taking up water and swelling. Nothing shows above the surface — everything is happening underground.
Do now
- Water lightly and often so the soil stays damp but never soaked. Letting it dry out between waterings kills the seed before it sprouts.
- Cover the surface with a thin layer of straw or compost to slow evaporation and steady the temperature.
- Label what you sowed and when. You will need the date to work out the harvest.
Watch for
- A hard crust forming on sandy soil after watering, which traps the sprout underneath. Break it gently.
- Ants carrying small seeds away — a very common problem in Qatari gardens.
In Qatar
Lettuce seed will not germinate above 28 °C. In September, keep the tray in the coolest corner of the house, or chill the seed for 24 hours first.
Germination
Days 4–9The seed coat splits: a root pushes down and a shoot pushes up. The two seed leaves that appear are not true leaves — they are the seed’s own food store.
Do now
- Keep moisture constant. The first root is very fine and a single dry day can end the seedling.
- Remove any covering as soon as the first sprout shows, or it will stretch thin looking for light.
- Give bright, indirect light. Direct midday sun will scorch a new seedling within hours.
Watch for
- A long, thin, pale stem: the seedling is not getting enough light and will collapse.
- Sudden wilting with a pinched stem at soil level — damping off, caused by overwatering.
In Qatar
Cover with no more than 5 mm of soil. Lettuce seed needs light to germinate and burying it stops it entirely.
Seedling
Days 10–24The first true leaves appear, shaped differently from the seed leaves. The plant is now feeding itself and the roots are branching fast.
Do now
- Thin crowded seedlings and keep the strongest. Crowding gives you many weak plants instead of one good one.
- Start watering less often but more deeply, to drive the roots downwards.
- Harden the seedling off — build up its sun exposure over a week before transplanting.
Watch for
- Yellowing lower leaves: nitrogen shortage, very common in Qatar’s poor sandy soil.
- Small holes or chewed edges, meaning snails or young grasshoppers.
In Qatar
Thin to 25 cm. Crowded lettuce bolts far faster in Qatari warmth than well-spaced plants.
Leaf growth
Days 25–44Leaves multiply fast and the rosette widens. All the energy goes into leaf — which is the crop itself, so speed is the goal.
Do now
- Feed nitrogen every ten days. Leafy crops want more of it than anything else you grow.
- Keep the moisture even. Any drought turns the leaves bitter and tough, permanently.
- Clear competing weeds. Leafy crops root shallowly and lose the competition easily.
Watch for
- Small, thick, dark leaves: the plant is thirsty or the soil is salty.
- Aphids gathering in the heart of the plant, where they are hard to wash out.
In Qatar
Lettuce peaks precisely in Al-Murabbaniya — December and January. Growth then is twice what it is in November.
Harvest
Days 45–85The leaves have reached size and are at their most tender. The window is short before the plant starts running to flower.
Do now
- Pick the outer leaves and leave the heart growing — you can crop the same plant for weeks.
- Harvest early in the morning. Leaves cut at midday wilt within an hour in Qatar’s air.
- Rinse in cold water straight after cutting and refrigerate immediately.
Watch for
- A stalk starting to rise from the centre: the plant is about to bolt — harvest everything now.
- Bitterness appearing suddenly after a hot spell.
In Qatar
Cut early. Lettuce picked after nine in the morning here wilts before you reach the kitchen.
Bolting
Days 86–105Heat or lengthening days convince the plant its life is ending, so it rushes to make seed. The leaves turn bitter and tough.
Do now
- The leaves are past salad use. Cook them if the bitterness is bearable.
- Let the strongest plant finish flowering and collect its seed for another season.
- The flowers pull in beneficial insects, so leave some standing if you have another crop nearby.
Watch for
- Early bolting caused by sowing too late in the season — the commonest mistake in Qatar.
- Seed scattering itself and coming back as a weed next season.
In Qatar
Bolting here usually starts in late February with the first warm days of Al-Aqarib. Watch for the centre rising.
End of cycle
Days 106–130The plant’s cycle is over. The roots left behind break down and add organic matter if you leave them.
Do now
- Cut the plant at soil level and leave the roots in place to rot down.
- Sow a crop from a different family in the same spot to break the pest cycle.
- Add compost and cover the soil before the summer heat.
Watch for
- Planting the same family twice running in the same bed.
- Leaving the soil bare in the sun all summer.
In Qatar
The lettuce season is over. Follow it with okra or molokhia to make use of the improved soil through summer.
- Water
- High
- Salt tolerance
- Low
- Heat tolerance
- Low
6 L/week in winter, 14 L in summer
Soil preparation
Very shallow-rooted, so only the top 15 cm matters. Mix in plenty of fine compost and level the surface well.
Pests
Aphids
- Sign
- Green clusters deep in the heart between the inner leaves, where they are hard to see.
- What to do
- Soak the cut head in salted water for five minutes. Once the heart has formed, sprays cannot reach them.
Snails and slugs
- Sign
- Ragged holes in the leaves and a shiny trail, especially after evening watering.
- What to do
- Water in the morning rather than the evening, and ring the plants with crushed eggshell.
Common problems
Early bolting
- Cause
- Temperatures over about 26 °C. The commonest mistake in Qatar is sowing late, in February.
- Fix
- Sowing earlier is the only fix. Loose-leaf varieties tolerate heat better than hearting types.
Tip burn
- Cause
- Calcium shortage caused by salty water or irregular watering.
- Fix
- Use fresher water if you can and keep the schedule rigid. Very common with Qatari well water.
Picking
Pick the outer leaves and leave the heart — you crop the same plant for six weeks instead of once.
Keeping
Rinse in cold water and bag it with a paper towel. A week in the fridge.