Lettuce

Acres harvested in Washington: 800 in 1999

Number of growers: 96 in 1997

Value per harvested acre: $2,268 in 1999

Value of production in Washington: $1.8 million in 1999

Washington lettuce growers plant both head lettuce (iceberg, butterhead) and leaf lettuce (green leaf, romaine, red leaf) for fresh markets located primarily in western Washington and Alaska. The Washington lettuce industry is a niche industry, depending on markets not served by the California lettuce industry. The average farm size is 50 to 60 acres, with the average lettuce field size being five acres. Most farms plant three crops of lettuce per year in staggered plantings. Some growers plant lettuce followed by other vegetable crops such as Chinese cabbage, celery, or radish.

Highest production of lettuce occurs in King and Pierce Counties in western Washington. These counties are located in a heavily urbanized area known as the Interstate 5 corridor.

Information about growing lettuce in Washington can be found within the Crop Profile for Lettuce in Washington on the web at http://www.tricity.wsu.edu/~cdaniels/profiles/Lettuce.pdf. Additional information can be found in the Commercial Vegetable Production Guides from Oregon State University on the web at http://www.orst.edu/Dept/NWREC/lettuce.html. Production conditions in Washington are similar to Oregon.