Have you ever taken a bite of lettuce and thought, “Boy this lettuce was really sweet last week but now it is a little bitter?” It happens. Many factors can cause lettuce to become bitter, but the most frequent is the age of the lettuce plant and the amount of heat to which it is exposed.

There are a few other factors too and most of them can be remedied easily. It is not possible to remedy age and temperature, but you can try to fool the lettuce into thinking it is still young and that the temperature is not that hot.

Heat and Age

Lettuce is a cold weather crop, which is why it is planted in the early spring or late fall. When it starts to get hot in mid-July, lettuce tends to bolt.

This means it sends out a stalk and flowers and this is normal maturation process of the plant. Any lettuce that is produced while this is happening will be bitter. Continue reading →