Lettuce question

Mirjam 5/17/2010, 4:07 pm

Hi all,

I planted a lot of mixed leaf lettuce (mesclun mix) in one of my squares, way too much to grow big, but we ate it all as baby leaf lettuce. (and it tasted soooo good Lettuce question Icon_biggrin

). But by now, I wonder if it will come again, or if I should just get rid of all the rooty bits and plant something new. Or, maybe, get rid of most of the roots, and let a few come again (if they do, of which I'm not sure), so those will have room to grow bigger?
In about a week, my next square of the same stuff will be ready to start harvesting, so it's not that I NEED to let it grow again... I'm just curious, and if it will grow back, it would be a waste to clean it up, wouldn't it?

Same question for Rockette, by the way...

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts and wisdom! (I've already learned so much from this forum!)

Lavender Debs 5/17/2010, 4:11 pm

Mine keeps coming back M, but I'm not sure how far into the crown you cut it. I would encourage you to give the square a deep drink and a couple of days. I've been amazed how quickly mine comes back!

Mirjam 5/17/2010, 4:20 pm

That was my first thought also, just see what it does Smile

I mean, there's no hurry to replant or anything...it just looks so sad now, with all the cut off ends...

Megan 5/17/2010, 9:00 pm

How far to the soil should you cut it to encourage re-growth? Take the whole plant or just the outer part? Is there a rule of thumb for that? I have tried to search on answers but they seem all over the place.

Retired Member 1 5/17/2010, 10:06 pm

I take the outer leaves and let the "heart" keep growing. When some lettuces get larger, you can take the whole thing if you leave about 1" of stalk. Then it will resprout around the stalk. But I've noticed some types do better than others in that department. Oak leaf in particular will continue sprouting. Black seeded simpson tends not to as much. But if you just take the outer leaves, your lettuce will keep going until it bolts.

Megan 5/17/2010, 10:09 pm

I will have to try both of those. I have a spicy mesclun mix growing and don't know what I've got, except for the red ones that I presume are red oak leaf.

Thank you! thanks

miinva 5/17/2010, 11:50 pm

On the show Edible Garden she cuts it off to about an inch of the soil and claims that it grows back (she's growing a mix of looseleaf lettuces, I believe).

PB 5/18/2010, 8:35 am

I pinch the outer leaves. Then as the smaller ones from the inside get larger pick them. Within a day or so I can't even tell where I picked them from.

miinva 5/18/2010, 3:55 pm

It makes sense that would work, I'll give it a try Smile

martha 5/18/2010, 5:31 pm

I had one lettuce plant last year that I picked from for 4 months! I wish I knew what I did. It's brothers and sisters bolted in the heat, but this one never did, and it stayed sweet and crunchy.

I would be afraid to cut off the entire plant - but you folks are making it sound like it can be okay.

Megan 5/18/2010, 6:08 pm

I don't think my lettuce isn't big enough to experiment with yet, but I can't wait! I planted a spicy Mesclun mix, yum yum!

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