I have committed a crime, a gardener's crime, for which any gardener's jury, (and I have no doubt such juries, though informal, do exist) would surely find me guilty. I admit it. I did not plant any lettuce this year.
I have faithfully planted lettuce, usually a leaf lettuce variety, every year for eons. And, also every year, I have pulled about 95% of it up and fed it to my sheep. I have observed all my gardening friends' lettuce plots, most large enough to provide salads for daily meals in a Homeless shelter, and wondered how any family could begin to consume the large quantities they plant considering one of two facts. Leaf lettuces bolt, that means they mature quickly, become less palatable, working their way to make seed. Head lettuces (Iceberg, Romaine) all mature at once. What family can deal with 50+ heads of lettuce all ready to eat at the same time?
I looked up the nutritional value of lettuce, found a web site (nutrition-and-you.com, health benefits of lettuce) and discovered a couple of things. Lettuce, especially the darker green lettuce, is really good for you, but I sorta knew that. There's a bit of a catch to that statement though. Most statistics for the value of lettuce are dependant upon a 100 gram serving. Couldn't help but be a bit curious as to what quantity of lettuce makes up 100 grams so out came my kitchen weigh scale. Wow! 100 grams is quite a lot, about 3 cups. Only 15 calories though, until you dress it. But who would want to eat 3 cups of lettuce naked?
I sorta like lettuce, on a burger, in a sandwich, but I'm not much of a salad fan, nor is my husband. I recently discovered a really good method of keeping leaf or Romaine lettuce fresh in the fridge - root end in about an inch of water in a pitcher, covered lightly with a plastic bag - and one pack of organic Romaine hearts last me for weeks.
So this year, yes I admit it, this year my usual one foot square of lettuce did not get planted. Instead I'm keeping that square open for my second planting of spinach, because for me a spinach salad with strawberries and a bit of sweet dressing is yummy. Yes, spinach also bolts, but it is preservable. When it gets away on you and begins to flower you can freeze or can it. Cooked spinach is also good for you. Hey just look at Popeye! Spinach in lasagna too, yum. And nutritional value, way up there. Besides, if I really want local fresh garden lettuce badly enough, I can think of quite a few gardeners who have over-planted and would just love to give some away.
Ok, why miss the nutritional value. develop a planting harvest strategy. Plant a few seeds every week. Of do what I do. I sow an area say 6 by 12 inches with a package of seeds very densely. When they come up the grow fast because the density holds in the heat and moisture When they are 2 inches tall, I pull up the youngsters by the hand full. Keeping them together with a rubber band will facilitate cutting off the root and putting them into a big bowl of water to wash. Nothing like the flavor of baby lettuce. I then transplant the remainder into a row. I then sow a new patch with a package or 1/2 package of lettuce. When the first transplants grow up, I cut them off at the root and plant some new ones in their place which enjoying a batch of baby lettuce or adolescent lettuce in between. I repeat the process through the growing season. Always some baby, adolescent and your adult available for the table, Nothing ever gets old enough to bold. My house hold and my daughters go through 4 gallon bags of fresh lettuce a week. I am sure you could cut production using this strategy to fulfill your needs and maybe have some left over for bartering with the neighbors.
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