This paper was carried out in order to determine and analyse the growth rate and the concentration and amount of nutrients required by the lettuce cultivars. Plants from a commercial field were collected at the age of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 days old, and the dry matter production, as well as the concentration of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S, were determined. Although the growth rate and the nutrient extraction were slow at the beginning, they have increase from the 30th day on and then maintained in a oermanently intensive rate, not reaching the point of highest accumulation until the harvest time. The growth was similar for both varieties, being the dry matter production of 12.75 g/pl for Brasil 48 and 12.52 g/pl for Clause's Aurélia. Percentages above 59% of dry and between 43 and 69% of the nutrients were accumulated by both varieties during the 20 days before harvesting. The amount of nutrients quantitatively accumulated at the end of the period by the two varieties were: Brasil 48 - 469 mg N, 99 mg P, 1,017 mg K, 161 mg Ca, 47 mg Mg, 21 mg S; Clause's Aurélia - 410 mg N, 100 mg P, 759 mg K, 200 mg Ca, 52 mg Mg, 20 mg S. It was observed that one plant of the cultivar Brail 48 has accumulated 469 mg N, 100 mg P, 1,017 mg K, 161 mg Ca, 47 mg Mg, and 21 mg S, at the harvest time.