Lettuce is one of the easiest crops for home gardeners to grow. Even so, it is often one that is overlooked when they start growing their own produce. Most get distracted by the pretty yellows, oranges, purples, and reds of growing things like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants etc. Are we right to overlook this, seemingly less exciting, green? Does it belong in your garden, or just at the bottom of the grocery list?
For the first harvest, Lettuce of any variety will likely cost you money when compared to startup costs for any sized garden. Consecutive harvests are likely to either break even or have a modest, but positive, ROI. Lettuce will likely allow you to have several harvests per year.
| 1st Harvest 2ft x 2ft | 1st Harvest 4ft x 8ft | Consecutive Harvest 2ft x 2ft | Consecutive Harvest 4ft x 8ft | Lbs per Plant | Cost/lb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romaine | $(29.13) | $(169.95) | $10.87 | $86.16 | 1.33 | $3 |
| Iceberg | $(36.45) | $(228.51) | $3.55 | $27.60 | 1.2 | $1.80 |
| Leaf | $(19.65) | $(94.11) | $20.35 | $162.00 | 0.24 | $3 |
Check out the table in Is a Home Garden Worth It as Produce Costs Rise? To see how lettuce compares to other crops. Continue reading that article to learn more about the costs of having a home garden and other, non-monetary, benefits.
How Much Does Lettuce Cost?
Romaine
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a pound of Romaine lettuce costs ~$3.058 in January 2023. This is slightly down from a year ago, a year where prices hit highs of ~$3.568. However, looking at any larger period of time reveals that lettuce prices are up ~30% from where they have held relatively steady for years.
I use what I believe is a conservative $3 in my calculations. Keep in mind, even the prices given by the Bureau can fluctuate quite a bit. If you are looking in various grocery stores you might find a head of romaine lettuce cheaper, especially if the current lettuce shortage situation improves. You may also pay up to twice as much, if you are looking for a bag of shredded romaine for instance. This is before getting into organic prices or varieties that are harder to find.
Iceberg
The most recent U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics prices on a pound of Iceberg lettuce is from 2020. That said, looking through the past decade shows that Iceberg lettuce runs ~60% of the cost of Romain on average.
This information tested against other sources sets Iceberg lettuce at an average cost of ~$1.80 per pound. You are likely to pay more for shredded (maybe more than twice this). This again does not get into organic options which would also be pricier.
Leaf
Leaf lettuce is not included in the bureau’s statistics at all. Based on various other sources of information (including public sites with relatively old numbers and various places you could buy leaf lettuce today) I believe the cost to be similar to that of romaine, ~$3.
You can likely find it both cheaper based on location (or occasion) and yet, bags of various types of leaf lettuce may cost you closer to twice this, much like shredded romaine.
How much does the average Lettuce plant produce?
I have never personally weighed my lettuce crop and a quick search online will give you wildly inconsistent ranges. The most often referenced seems to be something like, 2-10 lbs per 10 foot row. I
wanted to break it down per plant. I feel comfortable these are good ballpark figures, but I expect your personal experience may vary significantly based on the combination of everything from weather and plant spacing to how you choose to harvest.
Romaine
You might be able to harvest a head of romaine lettuce weighing ~1.33 lbs. This is dependent on the size of the heads grown which results from many factors you can control such as spacing, plant care, and proper harvesting.
Iceberg
You might be able to harvest a head of iceberg lettuce weighing ~1.2lbs. Again, this is dependent on the size of the heads grown which results from many factors you can control such as spacing, plant care, and proper harvesting.
Leaf
Leaf lettuce will allow you to harvest a few leaves at a time instead of harvesting the head all at once. This is likely to result in ~.24 lbs per plant.
How Many Lettuce Plants Should I Grow?
The general suggestion on plants to grow per person is 2-3 plants of head lettuce, although some suggest more. Based on the weight of the average head compared to the amount produced by leaf lettuce this would be 10-15 leaf lettuce plants.
Growing For Two
Head Lettuce (Romaine or Iceberg)
If you were to grow head lettuce it is suggested you should grow ~4-6 plants. For this you could grow 4 in the 2×2 bed example given in the table at the top of this article. Or, you could grow two 2×2 beds (2×4) resulting in space for a few more plants than you need, 8.
The 2×4 example will result in something close to a ~$60 loss for the first setup after paying for a growing space, water, dirt, tools etc. Every harvest after that will save you less than $25. Probably taking a full year of lettuce crops before you break even over all.
Leaf Lettuce
If you were to grow leaf lettuce it is suggested you should grow ~20-30 plants. Leaf lettuce can be grown much closer together than lettuce that results in a head. You can use the 2×2 example from the table at the top of this article as it should be enough to house ~36 plants.
This would result in a first harvest loss of ~$20, the good news is your next harvest should cover your setup cost. Each additional harvest brings in ~$20 in savings.
Growing For A Family of Four
Head Lettuce (Romaine or Iceberg)
If you were to grow head lettuce it is suggested you should grow ~8-12 plants. For this example, you could use the 2×4 example used in the ‘Growing For Two’ example above to achieve enough space for 8 plants. Or, you could essentially have three 2×2 beds as detailed in the table at the top of this article.
Using three 2×2 beds would result in a ~$90 or so loss the first harvest . Consecutive harvests would likely result in less than ~$35 savings. Again, it would probably take about a year of continuous lettuce crops to break even over all.
Leaf Lettuce
If you were to grow leaf lettuce it is suggested you should grow ~40-60 plants. Again, leaf lettuce can be grown much closer together than lettuce that results in a head. On the lower end, the 2×2 bed gets you close at ~36 plants. On the upper end if we were to do a 2×4 bed it should allow enough space for ~72 plants.
At 2×4, you will likely end your first harvest ~$40 in the hole. Again, you are likely to cover your set up costs in the second harvest resulting in something close to ~$50 in savings for each consecutive harvest.
This is all highly dependent on the current prices of the variant you choose to grow to you.
How Many Lettuce Harvests Per Year?
Lettuce is unique in that a lot of climates allow for you to continuously plant lettuce resulting in several crops a year. In the fall (and perhaps winter) it can grow in a space normally occupied by other crops in the spring/summer.
It is also one of the easiest to grow in doors as it does not have flowers that need to be pollinated. This makes it an ideal candidate for indoor hydroponic (or aquaponic) systems as well!
Disclaimer: Nothing written here is meant to imply a guarantee or to provide financial advice. It is possible your entire crop fails or that your experience results that are different from the estimates provided here. Please do your own additional research before pursuing anything as a financial investment.