Q: I was at a local home improvement store last week when I noticed they had lettuce transplants out. Isn’t it too late to plant lettuce?

A: Lettuce can stand a freeze. The recommended planting date for transplants is three to four weeks before the spring frost free date. The average date of last frost is March 27 so planting lettuce in early March is not as big a gamble as you imagine. Spring planted lettuce will be harvested and out of the garden by early summer, but you can begin planting again in August and September. If you plant some seed every two or three weeks, you can harvest fresh lettuce well into the New Year.