Cut and come again lettuce

Lettuce is a cool weather vegetable that thrives when the average daily temperature is between 55-75oF. Since lettuce will "bolt" at high temperatures, it is best to plant lettuce in the spring and fall planting in the mid-atlantic region. 

In my garden, I only grow leaf lettuce. Not only is leaf lettuce is easier to grow than head-lettuce, I find the taste, texture, and variety of colors to be superior for making salads. 

Since leaf lettuce grows as individual leaves from the crown, leaf lettuce is said to be "cut and come again" lettuce. Although leaf lettuce can be harvest at any time, I tend to wait until a large mound of leaves have formed before making my first harvest. 

Lettuce interplanted between garlic

When it is time, I harvest the whole plant by cutting the leaves 1-2 inches above the crown. Harvesting in this manner encourages a flush of new growth. I can usually get two harvests from each lettuce plant before the heat of summer arrives. It is sort of like a buy one, get one free sale. I love the bonus! 

I select every other plant for harvest to give the remaining plants more space for growth.  

I started leaf lettuce (Black Seeded Simpson, Lolla Rossa, and Arugula) from seeds in early March and transplanted the seedlings outdoors in mid-April. I planted the lettuce seedlings in between the garlic that I planted in the fall. This worked out well to help shade out the weeds and conserve precious garden real-estate.

In my garden, lettuce is ready (shhhh, don't tell the rabbits)! Today, I harvested enough lettuce to use for the next 3 days for lunch and dinner. I then spent the afternoon (slight exaggeration) washing, rewashing, and washing again the lettuce. This is by far the worst part about growing lettuce in a home garden. Thank goodness for salad spinners!

Having to wash the lettuce 5-6 times to remove all the dirt, sand, and "extra" protein (slugs and bugs) from the crinkly leaves is the small price to pay for fresh produce.