Thanks again guys!  I am really excited . . . the first my hands will get dirty this Spring!  I may even get it going this afternoon!

     I usually grow mine in a pot .. when the leaves get about 1 1/2  to 2 inches high, I just snip them off with scissors, leaving the bottom stem intact.  It tends to grow back pretty quickly.   Also, if the weather turns warmer than expected, I'll move the pots to a shady spot -- seems to keep them going longer.  But the OP is right ... LOTS of water!

i have just started my seeds in the house i have a couple questions.. for the leaf lettuce do i start it directly in the pot they will grow in or do i start them in the little peet pots like my other veggies and then move it to a pot??? can i start it in the house and then move it out to the yard in a couple of months or do i wait until everything goes into the ground and start it in the pot? thank you for your help

 For lettuce, I'd start it directly in the pot it's to grow in. No reason to transplant if it isn't necessary. You can start it now and set it out when it warms up, but be aware that lettuce doesn't like hot weather, so if it's staying above freezing in your area, it will be happier outside. It doesn't take long to get big enough to start eating. 

Pat How deep of a pot do I need (I am growing lettuce too). Also, when you say "hot weather" how hot is too hot? And should it be in direct sun? Do you know of any pests I should worry about (I'm in Minnesota). Thank you!

 It depends on the type of lettuce you're growing, but I'd say when it gets over 85 to 90 degrees for most. Romaine lettuce handles the heat very well; I've grown it in temps in the high 90s to over 100 and it never bolted, but most leaf type lettuces will bolt before that. In Minnesota you may not have to worry too much about it. 

A 12 inch deep pot should be enough. Most lettuce can stand part shade, but still needs quite a bit of sun. I'm not sure about pests in your area, but if you plant it in good soil, keep it watered when needed and so on, you shouldn't have trouble with bugs. Bugs are attracted to stressed plants. Rabbits will eat it, of course and sometimes birds will take bites of it.  

 I just planted spinach, Grand Rapids lettuce (a leaf variety), Bibb (heads), and turnips last weekend.  Last year, I planted too late and while I got some lettuce, it didn't take long for it to bolt.  The garden guy on tv said now is the time to plant greens, garden peas, and potatoes in northern Indiana.  I hope he's right!  The soil still felt really cold to me but we'll see what happens.  Our temps have been better......50s during the day and 30-40 at night.

 Allie,

Those are close to the very same temps we are having here on the coast of MA. Tomorrow my spinach, peas, lettuce, broccoli, kale and beets are all going in the garden. All except the beets have been started inside and are about 1-2" tall. I haven been hardening them off all week now. They should be fine, as they all prefer much cooler weather. I do plan on popping some of the seeds in along next to the ones already started, as to "stagger" the harvest. Once it hits June here, none of these care for the heat, so they will be replaced with heat loving veggies. Mid August all my early spring veggies seeds will go back in the garden for a Autumn crop.

i hate to be a pest but i want to get this right.. i buy an ordinary pot (any size?) and i buy leaf lettuce types (whats the best)  and then i plant them in the house but how many seeds per pot?  then when they start growing i snip the bigger leaves and more will come up then i snip again and more will come up.. i am in new hampshire way too cold for it to go outside yet.. but i have a screen room out front with lots of sunlight and temps around 70 degrees during the day and at night about 60 is that how i grow it and when it warms up a bit put it outside with the rest of my garden stuff

 Sandra, will you plant anything in the ground outside or all in pots? I buy a lettuce seed that is a mix of different kinds of seeds. HOme depot has a good selection of seeds. I plant lettue prett close together then has it grows thin it if it looks really crowded. In the next two weeks, you could plant lettuce, peas, radishes, potatoes outside. Everything else needs to wait until closer to Memorial day. Babs