Connecticut · zones 6a–7a
When to plant lettuce in Connecticut.
Sow between Mar 15 to Apr 29 in a typical year, keyed to Connecticut's median last frost around Apr 22. A second, fall sowing fits Jul 29 to Sep 27. Dates below are state medians; your ZIP code shifts them by days to weeks.
The 2026 windows
Lettuce dates for a typical Connecticut season.
Direct sow
Mar 15 to Apr 29
Keyed to the ~Apr 22 last frost. Sow 0.25" deep, 6" apart.
Fall round
Jul 29 to Sep 27
Counted back from the ~Oct 12 first frost.
Harvest
~45 days later
~0.4 lb per plant over ~1 weeks.
Connecticut spans more than one climate: Zone 6 is the most common zone, but the state runs 6a to 7a. That's why the planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not your zone: mountain and coastal gardens in the same state can be three weeks apart.
Connecticut growing notes
Long Island Sound buys shoreline Connecticut extra weeks of lettuce.
Why a shore garden outlasts an inland one in July
Long Island Sound warms more slowly than dry land does, so through the heart of a Connecticut summer the water sitting off the shoreline towns still runs noticeably cooler than the ground a few miles inland, and that gap pulls cooler air onto the coast on an otherwise hot afternoon. Because lettuce reacts to a run of consecutive hot days more than any single afternoon, that handful of degrees along the coast can be the margin between a spring planting that bolts by June and one still worth cutting in July.
Valley and upland gardeners without the Sound's buffering do better switching strategy instead of fighting the heat directly: sow a heat-tolerant variety specifically for the weeks between the spring and fall windows, since a bolt-resistant type shrugs off a stretch that would send a spring variety straight to seed within days.
Cold soil delays lettuce more than a late frost does
Direct-sown lettuce germinates best once soil already holds 40 degrees or warmer at a 2-inch depth, which makes it one of the earliest crops of a Connecticut spring, well ahead of anything needing real summer warmth. Sowing into ground still cold from a late frost doesn't kill the seed; it simply stalls germination for days longer than a gardener working off the calendar alone would expect.
A thin covering of seed-starting mix rather than native soil over the row helps here too, since lettuce needs light and steady moisture to sprout evenly, and a crust that forms on heavier upland clay after a rain can seal young seedlings under a layer they can't push through on their own.
Cutworms take a seedling in one bite, not slowly
Cutworms hide in the soil by day and sever young lettuce seedlings right at the soil line overnight, often leaving nothing behind but a toppled stem with no chewing higher up the plant, which is the tell that separates their damage from anything nibbling leaves from above. A bed that looked fine at dusk and shows gaps by morning is the classic sign.
A barrier as simple as a toilet-paper tube or a strip of cardstock, set around the stem so it sinks an inch into the dirt and rises a couple more above it, denies the worm any bare stem to reach, which is enough protection to carry a seedling past the vulnerable stage. Established plants with a woodier stem base are rarely bothered once they're a few weeks past transplant.
In Connecticut: watch for
The pests that find lettuce here.
A middle-length season, about 173 frost-free days, means lettuce, leaf overlaps aphids for a stretch each summer. Check plants every week or two and treat early.
Clusters tucked into the heart of the head.
Organic fix: Rinse well; insecticidal soap on young plants.
Ragged holes and slime trails, worse after rain.
Organic fix: Iron-phosphate bait; a diatomaceous-earth ring; hand-pick at night.
Seedlings clipped off at the soil line overnight.
Organic fix: Collars around the stems; Bt or diatomaceous earth.
Pale yellow patches boxed in by the leaf veins, with white fuzz underneath.
Organic fix: Give plants room, let them dry between waterings, clear old leaves, and pick resistant varieties.
Your season math: Connecticut gives lettuce about 173 frost-free days, and it needs roughly 45 days to a first harvest. That fits about 13 re-sown rounds across the season, so you can keep it coming instead of picking once.
Planting lettuce in Connecticut: questions
When should I plant lettuce in Connecticut?+
In a typical Connecticut year, sow lettuce between Mar 15 to Apr 29, keyed to the state's median last frost around Apr 22. There's also a fall window: Jul 29 to Sep 27. Your exact dates shift with your ZIP code and microclimate.
What USDA zone is Connecticut?+
Connecticut spans zones 6a–7a, mostly zone 6. But frost dates, not zones, set planting time. The free planner uses your ZIP code's actual frost dates.
How many lettuce plants do I need?+
Depends who you're feeding. The crop page has exact counts per household size, or the free planner does the math for your family in about 60 seconds.