Tomatoes with a Lettuce Understory
Lettuce keeps cropping in the light shade under tomatoes — the understory that stops summer bolting.
Season timeline
- Start the tomatoes
- Plant out the tomatoes
- Sow lettuce between the rows
- Harvest the first lettuce
- Resow lettuce into the shade
- Harvest tomatoes
- Harvest the summer lettuce
- Clear the bed
Bed layout
Crops in this bed
Step by step
- Start the tomatoesMar–Apr
Sow tomatoes in pots on a warm windowsill.
- Plant out the tomatoesMay
After the last frost, plant the tomatoes in two rows and stake them.
- Sow lettuce between the rowsMay
Sow the first lettuce into the strip between the young tomatoes.
- Harvest the first lettuceJun–Jul
Cut the spring heads before the summer heat peaks.
- Resow lettuce into the shadeJul
Sow a second batch under the tomato canopy where the light shade keeps it from bolting.
- Harvest tomatoesJul–Oct
Pick tomatoes as they ripen; regular picking pushes new fruit.
- Harvest the summer lettuceAug–Sep
Cut the shaded summer heads; they stay crisp under the foliage.
- Clear the bedOct
Remove the spent plants before hard frosts and compost healthy foliage.
Harvest calendar
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tomato: Jul | Tomato: Aug | Tomato: Sep | Tomato: Oct | ||||||||
| Garden lettuce | Garden lettuce: Jun | Garden lettuce: Jul | Garden lettuce: Aug | Garden lettuce: Sep |
The bed over the season
- Tomato · Sowing
- Tomato · Growing
- Tomato · Harvest
- Garden lettuce · Sowing
- Garden lettuce · Harvest
- Garden lettuce · Harvest
Why this combination works
Unlike a pre-crop, this lettuce stays all season: the tomato foliage casts exactly the light shade that keeps summer lettuce from bolting, while the lettuce acts as a living mulch over the tomato roots. The two also root at different depths, so they share water rather than compete for it.
Tips
Remove the lowest tomato leaves so the lettuce gets air. Water in the morning at the base of both crops. Choose a heat-tolerant summer lettuce for the July sowing. Never plant the lettuce right at the tomato stems — keep a hand's width of space.