Ruby Red Lettuce

Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost or 8 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in seed-starting mix, keeping temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Lettuce seeds germinate in 7 to 10 days under these conditions.

Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Transplant outdoors once they have developed 2 to 3 true leaves and soil temperatures are at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Space transplants 8 inches apart.

Direct sow seeds outdoors in spring as soon as soil can be worked, or in late summer for fall harvest. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep and thin seedlings to 8 inches apart once they have emerged.

Begin harvesting outer leaves once plants are 4 to 6 inches tall, typically 30 to 35 days after planting, by pinching or cutting leaves from the outside of the plant. The plant will continue producing new inner leaves for successive harvests over several weeks. For a full-head harvest, cut the entire plant at soil level when it reaches 5 to 10 inches in height, which occurs around 40 to 49 days. Harvest in the early morning when leaves are most crisp and succulent. Ruby Red's color remains vibrant and doesn't fade, so harvest timing is more about plant size and leaf tenderness than color changes.