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Posted on: September 12, 2008

It's Not Too Late For Lettuce

Your garden hasn't seen the end of lettuce this year - plant a crop now for tasty fall meals

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

Image courtesy istockphoto

By the end of the summer most gardeners feel their salad days are behind them. Delicate lettuce bolts and becomes bitter in the heat, meaning the end of the crop.

However, a second lettuce crop is not only possible, but may be a more pleasurable experience this go-round. The obstacles, from bugs to shade, aren't as great as in the spring.

"The fall garden can be more rewarding because there's less insect damage. The earth is warmed up and the days are shorter so you don't have bolting [from long intense sun]," says Renee Shepherd, a Felton, Calif.-based gardener and cookbook author.

What you sow now will provide delicious salads until the first frost and maybe beyond. Here are some tips for growing the second crop.

Whole lettuce heads take too long for many gardens; instead buy heat tolerant varieties of baby lettuce and mesclun mixes, says Shepherd, founder of Renee's Garden, which offers seeds through garden centers, nurseries and online.

You can either start seeds indoors or directly in the ground, depending on where you are, but plant 45 to 60 days before the frost date, say the experts.

Late summer sun can be intense, which isn't desirable. So instead of looking for full sun, plant where lettuce gets afternoon shade, says Barbara Ellis, a gardener near Chestertown, Md.

The edge of a shade garden is a good spot. Mesclun mixes with their range of rust and green colors can be ornamental as well as edible additions to your plantings.

If necessary prop up a shade cloth over the lettuce to protect it.

Lack of rain may also be a problem this time of the year. Keep seeds evenly moist, but not soggy during germination, says Shepherd.

Mulch, from straw or insect-free leaves, will keep the soil moist. You can also set a soaker hose in the lettuce patch and plant seeds along the hose, says Ellis.

The greens in a mesclun mix are at their sweet and tender best while the leaves are little. Don't plant the entire seed packet at once or some of the greens will outgrow their desirable qualities.

"[Instead] do a rolling crop," says Ellis, author of "The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book" (Storey Publishing, 2008.)

"Just plant a little bit every two weeks. Early and often is the best rule for lettuce," Ellis says.

Harvest by a cut and cut again method.

Use scissors to cut the small leaves for dinner salad and leave the rest of the plant; continue to trim the leaves as they grow. And if you really want to extend the season, cover the plants during the first frost. The temperatures are likely to rise again, allowing you additional harvests.

Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"