grow lettuce in South Carolina , a nerveless - time of year crop , can be both pleasurable and rewarding . The key to your success will be understanding the nation ’s USDA hardiness zones and how they influence when to start source , when to implant outdoors , and when to harvest clams . This guide will aid you voyage South Carolina ’s hardiness zone , which range from 7a to 9a .
Understanding South Carolina’s Hardiness Zones
South Carolina has a wide orbit of USDA Hardiness Zones from 7a to 9a :
Starting Seeds Indoors
begin seeds indoors appropriate you to begin the growing season before and expand it longer .
Plant the seed about 1/4 inch deep in a high - quality seed - start mix . Keep the soil consistently moist , and conserve a temperature of around 60 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit ( 15 - 21 degrees Celsius ) . Once sprouted , provide the seedlings with sizable spark .
When To Plant Lettuce In South Carolina
Transplant seedlings or sow seeds directly into your garden once the risk of a laborious Robert Frost has passed and grime temperatures have warmed to at least 40 degree Fahrenheit .
take a garden area with near sunlight but also some auspices from intense good afternoon Lord’s Day . Space lettuce plants about 8 to 12 inches apart in consistently moist soil . Mulching can aid retain territory moisture and suppress locoweed .
Succession Planting
successiveness planting with simoleons involves sowing pocket-size batch of seed at even intervals to ensure a continuous harvesting throughout the raise season . This method allows you to bask a steady provision of fresh lettuce without receive a surplusage or shortage all at once . Here ’s a step - by - step guide on how to do succession planting with lettuce :
By survey this succession planting method , you may enjoy a uninterrupted supply of fresh bread throughout the grow time of year , ensuring a steady harvest of this delicious and alimentary leafy common .
When to Harvest Lettuce in South Carolina
Lettuce can be glean at most stage of growth . For leaf lettuce , you may start out harvest when the farewell are large enough to consume , typically about 4 - 5 weeks after found . you’re able to either foot individual leaves from the plant or prune the entire plant at the Qaeda , which may stimulate a 2nd growth .
For head lettuce varieties like iceberg or romaine , harvest usually assume stead around 60 to 70 days after plant when the heads have take shape and feel firm .
commemorate , as temperatures rise , lettuce can bolt , or go to seminal fluid , which results in bitter parting . To preclude this , crop lettuce during the cooler part of the mean solar day and increase harvest home frequency as temperature arise .
