songbird wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:
...
How would your lettuce be holding up?

bolting for the sky or getting bitter and
tough?


Or just wilting and not growing.

i'm actually very little experienced with
lettuces here so i'm curious as to how to grow
good lettuce (especially romaine). we have
a variety of gardens to pick from with different
soils, but i suspect one which is inside the
fenced garden will be critical with the critter
populations...

how to keep it from getting bitter? does it
like mulch? soil conditions? pH? amendments?
in most cases i won't be able to do much but for
a small garden i can usually make an exception.

moisture level? constant? somewhat moist?
medium? somewhat dry?

sluggos and snailses usually aren't a horrible
problem here.


songbird

I recommend constant somewhat moist conditions including heavy mulch. I
have not found that pH or the exact nutrient balance makes any difference
but moderately fertile soil that keeps growth going steadily is best. I
give up on lettuce during our hot months as with all the mulch and watering
they still bolt. Perhaps I should be experimenting with shade cloth too.
If anybody had a good article on why exactly they bolt I am interested. It
seems to be related to soil temperature more than air temperature but I am
not certain.

D