Lettuce and Me - A love hate realtionship

I love lettuce. It's one of my favorite vegetables. We eat a ton of salad in our home. We spend a ton of money on organic lettuce. It turns out, lettuce does not particularly like me. I am having a terrible time growing lettuce seedlings.

On my first attempt, I did not give my seedlings enough light after they sprouted. Lost that batch.

Today, because it was sunny out... I put out my new little lettuce seedlings and I had the brilliant idea of putting plastic "green house" lids over them. The lids are the sort that come with Jiffy seed starters. I thought this sort of environment would foster growth.

Well, I went to bring my seedlings in (frost here tonight), and I discovered that many looked as if they had been burned to a crisp! They were horribly yellow and wilted beyond repair. (And no, the growing medium had not dried out.) Doh! I guess things got too warm under those green house hoods.

I look at it this way: With all the multiple plantings I've done, I will have plants in various stages of development. I'll have a steady supply of lettuce... that is, IF I can manage to get any to grow.

I'm half tempted to buy plants.

I usually plant a pack of tranplants and then direct sow seed in the next squares over. By the time the tranplants are giving out, the seeds have grown enough to take over salad duty.

Kay

I've also bought a pack of started lettuce from the nursery. They can be cut back for a meal or two and they will regrow again and again doing this (try loose leaf and crispheads to regrow about 4 times), and in the meantime sow your own seeds in the beds or in shallow pots and you'll have plenty thru the season. They work well interplanted between broccoli and cauliflower plants, too, where they are kept cooler as the summer arrives.

Thank you quiltbea and walshevak. I appreciate your advice. I refuse to give up! My wife and daughter are a bit amused by my "rookie mistakes."