On 2/01/2014 8:05 AM, David Hare-Scott wrote:

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.

David I'm a bit late in responding to your post (been away for a month
house sitting for a relative who had to have a stem cell transplant and
whilst I was away the home computer committed suicide and I'm only just
getting back to newsgroups) but I've had reasonable success in the hot
weather with growing Italian loose leaf lettuce called 'barba dei
frati'. The last planting was heavily harvested before I went away at
the beginning of December and Himself continued to harvest it all the
time I was away and it's still surprisingly edible even though it has
just begun to get that elongated 'reach for the sky' look that means
there will be flowering soon.

I bought my seeds from one of a supplier at some field day or somesuch,
but I notice they are stocked by the Italian Gardener:
http://theitaliangardener.com.au/cat...DSalad-leaves/