Lettuce can be successfully grown in containers (I've never grown icebergs though--only varieties of leaf lettuce.)

The trick will be making sure that they have enough nutrients and water, since they will be limited to only what you provide for them.

How big and deep a container are you planning on growing them? I am trying to find my notes on minimum container depth for different veggies...

Lettuce does well in containers. It also enjoys cool temps. I grow it all winter in the garden and even with temps in the low 20s it survives without protection.

Thanks Ralleia! I have various different sized containers:

Round flower pot--8.75" across x 6" deep
I have square/rectangle containers that measure:
#1) 14" x 10.5" x 3.25" deep
#2) 15" x 11.5" x 6" deep
#3) 21.5" x 15.5" x 5" deep

I believe iceberg lettuce has to be planted 12" apart which means in order to fit 2 plants in the same container and not have either one of them hanging partially off the side, it would have to be at least 36" wide which I do not have.

I believe iceberg lettuce has to be planted 12" apart which means in order to fit 2 plants in the same container and not have either one of them hanging partially off the side, it would have to be at least 36" wide which I do not have.

Another reason to grow leaf lettuce. Doesn't have those space requirements, tastes better, has more nutrition, and looks pretty.

If you're limited to those three containers, I think I would:

Plant two in the 21.5 x 15.5 x 5. Put them about 5 1/4 inches from the ends with 11 inches space between the two plants.

Plant one centered in the 15 x 11.5 x 6".

You might also dig a trench in the ground where you plan on setting them outside, so that the containers sit down in the ground a bit. This should help to keep the root zone cooler.

What natal said. When our hot weather moves in lettuce season will be over. I have Romaine and Buttercrunch in window boxes this winter. I use Osmocote fertilizer on them for convenience. They do very well with just the rain that falls so plentifully here in the colder months.

Ok, I'll give that a shot. Ppl keep talking about how I should be growing leaf lettuce, lol. I realize now what a pain in the butt the iceberg is but i chose that particular kind in the beginning because it's my favorite. Its the ONLY kind i buy from the store so obviously its the only kind I use at home. My kids love iceberg lettuce too. Being new, I should have asked on the forum which one I should start but...it never occured to me to do that. LOL...live and learn. Now I know that for fall, or next spring, I should choose a different type. I'm thinking Romaine??

I usually grow Red Sails, Black-Seeded Simpson, Red Salad Bowl, and Oakleaf.

Here is a link that might be useful: loose leaf lettuce varieties

You'll want to grow something that you all like to eat. If that was only iceberg lettuce, then you would have to figure out how to grow iceberg, I guess!

My daughter likes romaine lettuce--she won't eat any of the leaf lettuce that I produce, but she loves romaine hearts. I think that romaine is more challenging than simple leaf lettuce, too, though. You might pick up some nice romaine hearts (they usually come in a three-pack and are called "romaine hearts") to see if your family likes it before investing the effort. The individual heads of romaine usually come with a lot of the tougher outer leaves, which have more texture and are more strongly flavored.

Bibb, boston, and buttercrunch are all a little more similar to iceberg, too. You might sample these at different times from the grocery store.

With your summer heat though you'll likely be limited to growing lettuces in fall, winter, and early spring. I'm a lot further north than you and I don't generally attempt lettuce in summer.

Lettuce in containers is a good idea. You can site them where they get a few hours of the earliest sun and spent the hottest part of the day in shade. Don't beat yourself up about choosing iceberg, it's important to grow what you and your family will enjoy, but a part of gardening is the opportunity to be exposed to an endless variety, and with the wide availability of seeds, people are learning about flavors and colors and textures they never imagined. How cool would your kids think it was to eat blue peas and purple carrots and green striped tomatoes? It's like a plate from Doctor Seuss.

If it helps, I am rather picky about lettuce too, and really do like iceberg. I have never cared for the taste of leaf lettuces, though I surely do enjoy them in spring flowering containers. (Maybe I haven't tried enough varieties.) Romaine, to me, is delicious. Ditto Buttercrunch. I have found both to be simple to grow here, both in containers and in the ground under row covers during the fall and winter season. One of the fun things about gardening is trying new things. Sometimes you like it and occasionally you don't, but if you don't, there's always a friend or neighbor or food bank who is glad to have it. Expose your kids to lots of new things. Make it an adventure, and in the end they (and their spouses) will thank you for it.

I never knew there was anything but iceberg growing up. That's all my mom bought. Couldn't tell you the last time I bought a head. When I can't grow my own lettuce I buy romaine hearts and spinach ... occasionally I'll buy the field mixes or buttercrunch. We eat a salad almost every day. I consider it a veggie side.

Lettuce is to dressing what rice is to soy sauce or fries to ketchup. I love iceberg with bleu cheese dressing, but its all about the texture, it's the cheese I'm tasting.

'Lettuce is to dressing what rice is to soy sauce or fries to ketchup.'

Not sure I understand that. Do you mean you regard lettuce as a neutral base for a strong flavour?

In essence, yes. Lettuce is more than 90% water. Most of the best qualities of a lettuce-based salad come from the minor ingredients we add. Lettuce on its' own often has little flavor or nutritional impact, Romaine being a notable exception. It is the foundation of mass and texture for building something that is more than the sum of its' parts. There are thousands of lettuce varieties, and it is the most popular home grown vegetable, but a quick walk down the grocery store aisle will reveal only a small portion of that, but probably one hundred dressings.

I worked with a chef for several years trying to create a vegetarian salad that required no dressing. We came up with a few, with over 30 different ingredients in them, but the thing we discovered our customers wanted they they didn't offer was salt. Dressing adds the a way to keep salt on the leaves in a balanced proportion.

I make all our salad dressings. I never buy bottled. I've been making a light citrus vinaigrette recently with the juice of Louisiana Sweets, a little Dijon, a touch of honey, sprinkle of white balsamic, and very little olive oil. The citrus is the major player. Fresh and delicious on a mix of field greens, julienned carrots, and toasted pecans.

I absolutely agree that lettuce needs some dressing but not that the flavour of the lettuce itself is unimportant. I actually prefer a lettuce with a slightly bitter taste. My favourite is Little Gem. I make all our salad dressings and grow all our lettuce. Like natal I never tasted a bottled dressing I would buy. I generally go for a classic vinaigrette or variations on that theme. My favourite salad is the first one of the season which has to be scavenged from the first lettuce thinnings, beet seedlings, kale seedlings, pea shoots and any other bits of edible greenery I can find. As you say, an all lettuce salad is not as interesting, but even in a mixed salad I still think the quality of the lettuce is vital.

Y'all are making me hungry.
If garden lettuce has too strong a flavor, you can try adding craisins (dried, sweetened cranberries). We also use Nakano vinegar -- it's a rice vinegar (and yes, it has dreaded corn syrup in it) that's mild and sweet and counter balances the slightly bitter flavor in a garden salad that includes all those wonderful spring greens in addition to lettuce.

You can also add a little maple syrup. If you look at any salad dressing, it's probably got some sugar in it, so I figure I'm allowed to add sweet things to my home made dressings.

Winter spinach salad: olive oil, Nakano, 1T maple syrup, craisins, sliced canned pears, toasted walnuts, crumbled feta cheese. Salty, sweet, and very pretty.

Elisa, I use Nakano and Kikkoman rice vinegars and neither has corn syrup. Are you using a seasoned vinegar?

Natal -- I just looked at the bottle and it says "Seasoned" and then "All Natural Original."
But it's okay, I love corn syrup :) (it doesn't mess with my blood sugar the way regular sugar does.)