// SPECIES PROFILE · FOOD CROP · CULTIVATED

Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a cultivated annual food crop grown for its edible leaf. Family: Asteraceae (aster family). Originally from Mediterranean & Near East. Grown as an annual in zones 3a–11a. Mature size 6"–1'. Harvest in northeastern Oklahoma: Apr–May and Oct–Nov.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Asteraceae (aster family)
Group: crop · annual
Origin: Mediterranean & Near East · cultivated
USDA zones: Zones 3a–11a (as an annual)
Mature size: 6"–1'
Sun: Sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Edible parts: leaf
Harvest (NE OK): Apr–May and Oct–Nov
Garden role: cool-season salad green · spring & fall beds · bolts in Oklahoma summer heat

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) — *Lactuca sativa* — Lettuce. Photo by en:User:Geographer via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 1.0).

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Why it's on this list: cool-season salad green · spring & fall beds · bolts in Oklahoma summer heat. A cultivated food crop — not a native — grown alongside regional natives in Rooted Revival's kitchen-garden and food-forest designs. Harvest windows are for northeastern Oklahoma (USDA zone 7a).

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a kitchen garden or food-forest guild, lettuce pairs well with: Radish (Raphanus sativus), Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus), Garden Pea (Pisum sativum), Wild chives (Allium schoenoprasum).