Why is my lettuce bitter?

[writerkerrie]

I was so excited to plant lettuce, as a few years ago we had a huge crop and it was yummy! Ours is super tall but bitter and I can't even eat it! Why is this, and should I just let it go to seed for next year?

 

[zigs]

Is it a different variety to the last ones you grew?

If not it might be that it didn't grow fast enough of suffered from lack of water. Plants also go bitter to protect themselves from pest attacks.

Try blanching some with an upturned flower pot, you need to do that with chicory otherwise its really bitter.

 

[Jed]

I was also going to say it may be the lack of water.
You could try soaking the leaves in a bowl of water in the fridge for a while before using them.

 

[headfullofbees]

Lettuce grows stronger in flavour as it matures.
When you tell us that it has grown super-tall, that immediately makes me suspect that it is bolting.
Eat it young and it will be sweeter.

 

[writerkerrie]

Is it a different variety to the last ones you grew?

If not it might be that it didn't grow fast enough of suffered from lack of water. Plants also go bitter to protect themselves from pest attacks.

Try blanching some with an upturned flower pot, you need to do that with chicory otherwise its really bitter.

Yes, different variety. The others were low to the ground and fat. These are TALL.

 

[zigs]

Might just be the taste of that variety then.

 

[Millenia]

I would harvest it earlier. Not that that necessarily helps you right now. You can harvest outer lettuce leaves as they grow and they will keep producing without harvesting the entire plant. I would plant several varieties of lettuce next time in case one doesn't turn out so well. I will be planting about 4 different types this fall.

 

[StrawBerryRunner1]

yes it sounds as though it is bolting and causing it to be bitter,you could try these varieties that seem to tolerate hot weather, buttercrunch, salad bowl, ruby, and romaine, which remain sweet and tender longer

 

[Rosyrain]

You can also taste test the leaves as it is growing so that you pull it when it tastes the best to you. I can't help myself but pull a piece of leaf off every once in a while.

 

[Rub]

It is definitely a lack of water. You shouldn't plant the vegetables and forget about them untill the autumn has come. They are needed to care of.

 

[megankl]

I had this happen to my lettuce batch last summer. Luckily it was the beginning of the summer and so I had time to regrow another plant. I watered it more often and it was so much better so I definitely agree that it was lack of water.

 

[IcyBC]

I haven't grown lettuce before because the insects I saw on them in my mom's garden just giving me a chill. I did however, tasted some bitter lettuce, not much, but I can taste it. I will have to relate the information to my mom so she can water them more.

 

[arthnel]

yes it sounds as though it is bolting and causing it to be bitter,you could try these varieties that seem to tolerate hot weather, buttercrunch, salad bowl, ruby, and romaine, which remain sweet and tender longer

Yes it sounds like a "bolting issue". This happens because lettuce usually like to grow in cool areas or temperatures. When it gets hot, lettuce will get into a maturity mode called bolting that makes it grow fast and even send out flowers. The only solution I know of is to ensure that it gets a lot of water. Once the lettuce has sufficient nutrients from the soil, sufficient water should make it better tasting.

 

[Corzhens]

I am stunned by that bitter lettuce. If the growth was stunted then maybe there is an abnormality. But since you said it is super tall then probably there is something wrong with the variety. We have a Thailand sugar apple with seeds that grow 2 varieties. Even only in 1 fruit, all the seeds will not grow to be of the same variety. Maybe that is the case of your lettuce.