Hot Weather lettuce (PIX)

[rebbetzin]

I think I have found a type of lettuce that will grow and not bolt when the temps reach
the 90's ane 100's!

In the early spring I threw some lettuce seeds I had gathered a couple of years ago.
They were hanging in a grocery bag in the storage/laundry room. I wasn't sure they
were any good, so I just threw them out there, and if they grew they grew, and if
they didn't no big deal

Well, I think the seeds pretty much all gerninated! I have lettuce all over the place
in my front garden beds! And it is still producing nice sweet lettuce! And we have
hit 100 in the past couple of weeks! I hope to get some seed from these plants.

They are a deeply lobed leaf lettuce, I don't know the name of it. But it is growing
very nicely!

 

[digitS']

Along with the lobia, nasturtiums and . . ?, Rebbezin.

Do your nasturtiums reseed? I like their flavor. Nearly every creek around here that is in lower elevations has watercress, their cousin .

I have some lettuce that has survived the winter. The stairs off the deck have containers of lettuce plants late & early in the season. The plants are supposed to go out into the garden as space becomes available. These, ended up in with the strawberries at the foot of the stairs. Just kind of "plunked" in the ground shortly before the fall frosts. Then, the strawberries and their lettuce companions were covered with a thick, pine needle mulch for the winter. The lettuce was still there when they were uncovered and have now begun to grow. I suspect, they will bolt quickly to seed but I should sample a leaf or 2 before they do.

Lettuce isn't a difficult "seed crop." I think it may have some problems where the humidity is high because of mildew and such. Arizona's dry air probably helps with that problem. I have noticed, however, the aphids love lettuce after it begins to bolt. I often spray my bok choy, mustard & radish with insecticidal soap after it has begun to bloom. It just gives the plants some relief from the aphids and lowers the pest population for other things in the garden.

Saving my own lettuce seed would probably make sense for me since I buy it in larger packets. My plan is to sow the seed again and again in containers and just keep those plants moving out into the open garden. Then, I just harvest the entire plant. The only one that I'm inclined to do a cut-&-come-again is romaine. Pushing the season as late as possible into summer works better for that one and for the Batavians that I've grown. That group is also called Summer Crisp - which makes sense to me.

Uh oh, I've made an nonessential comment on names . . .

Steve

 

[momofdrew]

rebbetzin...they look good enough to eat...I always have trouble with bolting...your dryer air is probably the reason they havent bolted yet...

 

[Greenthumb18]

rebbetzin,
Is that lettuce a Batavia variety? I know that Batavia Lettuces are quite heat resistant and are bitter and bolt free.

 

[so lucky]

Maybe Deer Tongue Lettuce? Or Oakleaf? the old timers around here used to buy Oakleaf, saying it would stand up to hot weather best.

 

[rebbetzin]

Do your nasturtiums reseed?


Steve

Yes they sure do! I go out and gather as many seeds as I can each year. But come early spring, I have many volunteer Nasturtiusms coming up. Then I just put in a few seeds here and there where they haven't come up by themselves.

I think I will look at some of my seed catalogs and see if I can find a photo that looks like this lettuce.

 

[ducks4you]

How GREAT!! We're eating on our lettuce, too. You gotta find out which kind, bc I'd like to be eating unbolted lettuce in July, too. =b

 

[catjac1975]

100! arrrrggggggghhhh!

 

[rebbetzin]

From looking at photos on the web, I am pretty sure this is a type of Oak Leaf Lettuce. I found out there are many types and shapes of what is commonly callled "Oak Leaf" lettuce.

 

[lesa]

I have grown it, but it was in a lettuce mix- so I was never sure what it was called. Years ago I let some lettuce go to seed- every year the garden is full of lettuce from those original plants! It has spread to the lawn!!