Vegetable · Asteraceae
When to plant celtuce
Celtuce is a stem-forming lettuce selected for an enlarged central stalk. It is different from heading lettuce, so choose the correct seed and plan a harvest based on stem tenderness.
Start seed indoors
6 weeks before
Counted from your last spring frost.
Plant out
2 weeks before
Counted from your last spring frost.
Sow direct
2 weeks before
Counted from your last spring frost.
Choose a place for estimated dates and local climate checks.
Timing, in frost-relative terms
These offsets are the starting assumptions used by our calendar for celtuce. They do not establish suitability in every climate. Your seed packet, cultivar and local growing advice take priority; in frost-free places the calendar uses monthly temperature patterns instead.
- Start seed indoors 6 weeks before the last frost.
- Plant out 2 weeks before the last frost.
- Sow direct 2 weeks before the last frost.
- Expect 70–90 days to maturity, counted from sowing.
Getting the timing right
Use fertile, drained soil with steady moisture. Avoid damaging shallow roots during hoeing and consider suitable shade in hot weather. A plant stretching under stress is not necessarily developing a useful culinary stem.
Frost tolerance
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.
Classified as half-hardy, with a catalog cold-damage reference of -3°C (26.6°F)26.6°F (-3°C). Exposure duration, growth stage and acclimatisation change cold tolerance.
Before you plant celtuce
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 4.5°C (40.1°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Harvest the thick stem before celtuce becomes woody
Use fertile, drained soil with steady moisture. Avoid damaging shallow roots during hoeing and consider suitable shade in hot weather. A plant stretching under stress is not necessarily developing a useful culinary stem.
Check stems as they thicken and harvest before they become coarse or the plant advances into flowering. Prepare the outer skin appropriately and compare the crisp interior at different sizes. Keep leaf picking moderate when the stem is your main crop.
What to record this season
At what stem thickness did the peeled interior remain crisp and tender? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: Lactuca sativa angustana Celtuce PFAF Plant Database . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
Plants For A Future compiles botanical and cultivation references. This is general species guidance, not a local field trial or evidence that every cultivar will crop in your climate.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy