Lettuce is easy to grow and comes in so many varieties

Most grocery stores carry iceberg, romaine, leaf, bib and perhaps a few other varieties of lettuce. Sometimes you can find those big plastic boxes full of unusual greens, often organic and terribly expensive. I have purchased them on sale only to find the lettuce leaves to be slimy and inedible. Once I was even served a salad at a local restaurant that had those characteristics and the waitress simply said, “Whatever.”

Lettuce in bags has become popular probably due to their convenience. It has also been in the news each year as it is recalled from the stores because it is contaminated in one way or another. The task of tearing lettuce into bite-size pieces needn’t be looked at as taxing because, well, it is not.

It is difficult to complain about lettuce when it is so easy to grow it at home. With so many varieties of lettuce seed available at garden centers and through reputable mail order companies, the hardest part is deciding which varieties to plant.

Lettuce can be planted in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Begin about four weeks before the last expected frost. Plant seeds about 1/8 inch deep in wide rows about six inches apart. You can plant new seeds every two weeks for a continuous harvest all summer long. Lettuce can also be planted in the winter if you have a greenhouse or a protective row cover to keep it from freezing.

Lettuce has a shallow root system and does like to compete with weeds. Weed often to prevent the lettuce bed from getting overrun with weeds that are oftentimes spread by the wind. I recommend using no herbicides near lettuce as the goal is to grow something healthy that will eventually be eaten.

Rather than choose the varieties that are commonly found in stores or even at your local farm stands and markets, choose those that are a little different or those that will do well in your specific location.

Tom Thumb is a small and very old variety that was first introduced in 1830. A miniature butter head type lettuce that grows only to the size of a tennis ball, the creamy, yellow, crumpled leaves make a delicious gourmet salad. It is a good variety to grow in containers, if space is a problem in your garden. Although mature in 65 days or so, this, like most types of lettuce, can be eaten as soon as the leaves are developed.

Australian Yellow Leaf is mature at only 50 days. Bright yellow leaves are tender and delicious and add color to the garden and your salads.

Red Deer Tongue was popular with pioneer families because it is so productive. The pointed, dark green leaves, edged in red, have a rich, nutty flavor. The compact, loose heads are seven to eight inches tall and are very attractive in the garden and in salads.

When looking for lettuce varieties, seek out those that are heat resistant, as it gets very hot in the summer in our region. Heat makes lettuce bolt. It will grow rapidly and once it has gone to seed it tastes terrible. Letting some lettuce produce seed is a great way to insure a harvest in the coming year. Some gardeners just leave the plants in the garden to come up again on their own.

Very little is as delightful as the first green in the lettuce bed in the very early spring.