bitter lettuce?

[Muscroj]

I've been growing some mixed leaf lettuce in the veg beds & have been thrilled that the slugs have left them alone. But although they were lovely to start with I've noticed the last couple of times I've picked them that they now taste very bitter & unpleasant, despite looking healthy. Is this normal for lettuce, is it just time to rip it out & start again? Can I use it for anything? Seems a shame to chuck a whole bed full of lettuce

[red]

it might be the variety or sometimes they go bitter when they bolt.

or maybe you need a stronger garlic dressing

[wulf]

Try cooking it. That will let you get a bit more out of the plants.

Lettuce is one of those things that benefits from successional sowing throughout the season though.

Wulf

[Urban Ayisha]

i heard that unless it is watered daily it will taste bitter. i know we've had plenty of rain recently, but perhaps they suffered during a dry spell?

[Millymollymandy]

They are bitter because they are past it unfortunately. If it's the cut and come again type then I expect it is desperately trying to go to seed but your picking/cutting is preventing that, but the leaves have still got that bolted lettuce taste. Time to sow again!

Urban A - not watering doesn't make lettuce bitter, but they do need watering daily in hot weather in an effort to stop them bolting (which turns the leaves leathery and bitter). Watering with a rose on top of the lettuce is no good and it's better to use a smaller watering can with no rose and lift up the leaves and water right underneath onto the soil by the base of the plant. The leaves (depending on the type of lettuce grown, of course) will stop any rain from getting to the roots where they actually need it (they don't have much of a root system) but if watered underneath will also shade that area keeping the soil moister for longer.

Strangely enough after having chooks for 4 years who used to run a mile at the sight of a lettuce they've suddenly decided that bolted lettuce is yummy and are getting through one a day!

[Muscroj]

what a shame, I thought this may be the case, it goes through me pulling them up when they look so big & healthy. But I suppose it'll make for good compost. And it'll give me some room for the pak choi I want to sow.

[Peggy Sue]

I have terrible trouble thowing anything away, especially the likes of lettuce when I sued to own Guines Pigs as a child - they not only ate all the lttuce scraps but I was sent out to find and pick dandelions for them- still can't bring myself to pull up a dandelion when I'm weeding!

[Muscroj]

ooh, never thought of that, my sister has a rabbit & a couple of gpigs & lives just around the corner, I'll get my nephew to come & collect some :)