My lettuce is always bitter.

[Kansas Terri]

The weather has been cool and dampish, so my lettuce is not bitter yet. It soon will be, though.

I have tried planting heat resistant lettuce and I have tried watering it daily: nothing much works! Actually this year I have done relatively well: it is all of 4 inches tall and it is still edible. For me that is pretty good!

Does anybody here grow lettuce that is sweet? Is there a trick to it?

 

[Chuck]

The weather has been cool and dampish, so my lettuce is not bitter yet. It soon will be, though.

I have tried planting heat resistant lettuce and I have tried watering it daily: nothing much works! Actually this year I have done relatively well: it is all of 4 inches tall and it is still edible. For me that is pretty good!

Does anybody here grow lettuce that is sweet? Is there a trick to it?

Mine gets bitter when it starts to bolt and warm weather causes it to bolt. I pulled mine last week. The first pic was just before I pulled it all up. The second pic was taken at the first of February. These were from left over 2 year seeds

 

[lcbearth1]

Thank you for this post.. now I have an idea on why some lettuce are bitter.

 

[Chuck]

The cause of a lot of bolting lettuce is a varietal issue but it all comes down to your climate. I have had better luck with Bibb lettuce than leaf lettuce but all in all when it gets warm it is going to bolt no matter what. I think the Good Lord made a mistake when he made lettuce. It should be at its best when tomatoes come in but it isn't. What good is a BLT with no L or a tomato cucumber salad with no L?

 

[lcbearth1]

BLT - What does that mean I will be happy for an answer. thank you for your posts.

 

[dave david]

bacon lettuce and tomato....usually a great sandwich on whole wheat toast...

Your lettuce will also taste better, and not bitter with more robust fertilizers, like chicken manure applied to the soil as an amendment just prior to planting.

 

[Mockingbird]

I guess I have grown immune to the bitterness of lettuce, One thing I do that I think can make a difference .. I pick the leaves almost daily, I never let them get to terribly big, just take them small and tender toss in some of the herbs and whatever else and you have a salad.

The other thing that occurs to me is I have the lettuce right next to strawberries, I don't know if this is a good or bad thing, I just know this is the spot where it does the best. Strawberries rows, lettuce and then the collards. I had quite a nice crop of watercress last year, I will try that again this year.

 

[IcyBC]

This explains why some lettuces are bitter! Although I am not fond with bitter taste, I can take it from the lettuce, but not from bitter melon or turnip greens unless you cooked them down to nothing, which is useless as far as health benefits concerned.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I do not grow any veggies. BUT the Amish farmers here always LIME their soil in the late fall after the last tilling, and then leave it on top of the soil to leach in naturally with the snow etc. They say LIME will make your veggies sweet.