All About Lettuce

Lettuce is a seriously underappreciated vegetable. I blame the laziness that defers to dull, yellow iceberg lettuce for every salad and sandwich people eat. There are dozens of varieties of lettuce and they are all really good for you! Most are also incredibly easy to grow from seed which can save you lots of money at the store and help you eat healthier. 

If you want to grow something familiar, then Romain Lettuce is a good option but I definitely prefer loose leaf, of cut and come again, lettuce. You can continually harvest leaves off the plant and it will continually grow new ones. Just don't ever harvest more than 50% of the leaves at a time. They also come in colorful seed mixes to brighten up your salads. 

Lettuce is very easy to grow from seed. PLEASE don't waste your money on plants at the garden center. 

Lettuce is a cool weather plant. It is easiest to grow in Spring and Fall. Here in York County, if the ground is bare (meaning there's no snow on the ground, if so you have to wait till it melts), then I'll put out a bit of seed on Saint Patricks Day (yes, in March) and then sow more seeds every few weeks until Mother's Day. Light frosts will not harm the seeds or seedlings. If you do get a hard frost (25 degrees F or less) then, just cover with some plastic for the night. 

Summer is difficult with lettuce because of the heat. Your best bet is to find "bolt resistant" varieties (it will say on the seed packet) and plant in partial shade. Bolting means the plant has gone to seed and will taste very bitter. 

For fall gardening, I start sowing lettuce seeds in Mid August and plant more out every few weeks till mid to late September. Eventually, the winter will be too much for the lettuce and it will go bad (it will be very limp in the garden) but you can extend the season with a simple cold frame or row cover. In August, be sure to not let your lettuce dry out. 

That's really all there is to it. Be sure to wash it thoroughly before eating. My salad spinner was only $10 at Walmart and works great. I've never had any pests or diseases on lettuce that made me even think about treating with pesticides. The occasional slug isn't hurting anything. Have you grown your own lettuce? Feel free to write about your experiences in the comments below!