Lettuce in Hot Weather

Lettuce is a cool season annual. When the weather turns hot, it becomes bitter and inedible so here in Kansas lettuce season is nearly over.  Since we still have lots of lettuce in the garden, I’m keeping it tender and sweet with a couple of tricks.  

PVC hoops, attached to the beds with pipe bands, are perfect supports.

Mid-morning just before the sun hits the bed, I cover it with old white sheets, then soak the sheets with the garden hose. Evaporation and shade cover keep the lettuces cool.  In the late afternoon when our trees shade the bed, the sheets are removed. 

Our lettuce bed in cool May weather.

We're growing Forellenschluss, Slobolt, Red Sails, and Buttercrunch.  Forellenschluss is least heat tolerant so I'm using it up first.  Slobolt will be used last, to see if it lives up to its name. 

       

Slobolt lettuce under shade cover.

Buttercrunch head grown from seed saved last year.

I harvest in the early morning, when the leaves are crisp and least bitter.  All leaves are cut from the stem and plunged immediately into a bowl of cold water. They stand for 10-20 minutes to bleed out the latex, the bitter white juice. I drain the water out of the bowl, cover loosely with a plastic bag, and put immediately in the refrigerator.  Lettuce prepared this way is delicious and keeps well for about a week.