When to plant lettuce in USDA Zone 7a

Plan your lettuce planting around local frost risk and soil temperature, then work backward from the harvest week your buyers need. The calendar below is a starting point, not a field-level weather forecast.

Asheville, Winston-Salem, Roanoke, Nashville, Little Rock. Average last spring frost April 15, first fall frost October 15 — a 183-day frost-free season.

Zone fit: excellent
Lettuce is well suited to Zone 7a. Standard planting dates work with minor adjustments for microclimates.

Key dates

Start seeds indoors
March 11 – March 25
Direct-seed or transplant outdoors
March 11 – April 1
Expected first harvest
May 2 – May 30
Fall planting window
August 13 – September 3
Fall harvest window
October 4 – November 1

Windows are calculated from your zone's average frost dates. Adjust ±1 week for microclimates, elevation, and your own frost records.

Spacing and soil

Plant spacing
8″
Row spacing
12″
Seed depth
0.125″
Soil temperature
45–70°F
Frost tolerance
half-hardy
Days to harvest
45 days

Grower notes for Zone 7a

Successive plantings every 10–14 days for continuous harvest. Bolts fast above 75°F — use heat-tolerant varieties past May.

Plant near: carrots, radish, strawberries

Other leafy greens for Zone 7a

Same crop, other zones

Track your own plantings

BAU Farm Intelligence turns these windows into per-field tasks — indoor seed-start reminders, transplant dates, harvest projections — using your farm's actual frost history.