Dirtmechanic
Garden Addicted
Dodie Thayer was quite the lettuce artist. This is an entire dish set from 1926.
Last edited:
Dodie Thayer was quite the lettuce artist. This is an entire dish set from 1926.
View attachment 36735
When I prep the beds where lettuce will be planted I add an inch layer of chicken bedding and water it in really well. After that I dont fertilize at all. It's not a very hungry plant.
Muir and cherokee are my fave variety for summer, both from Johnnyseeds.com. this variety does great during the heat of the summer and does not bolt easily as long as you keep it watered really well, daily or twice a day on really hot days. You can harvest the whole head or just the outer leaves.
Besides slugs I have not other pests on my lettuce. I use sluggo brand slug bait for this with great results.
I direct seed in the fall, winter and spring. Lettuce wont germinate when the soil is too hot.
We love lettuce!
It does go slightly bitter during the hottest part of summer. Mine was in full sun so maybe planting it in partial afternoon shade may prevent that?Just came back to this thread and realized I never asked you more about this. Does Muir and cherokee turn bitter when it gets hot? I don't mind watering a lot (my daughter and son are both madly in love with watering) but I don't like bitter lettuce haha
I grow my lettuce in part shade. I like mesclun mixes for the variety and because they are cut and come again. Just either remove outer leaves or cut down to the bottom. It will regrow. We also eat a lot of ceasar salads so romaine is a must. My son loves Little Gem so I grow that mainly for him but it is delicious and pretty.
Mary