by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: December 20, 2008

One of the greatest joys of having a vegetable garden is the ability of any home gardener to grow any or all of the ingredients necessary to make a great salad. Lettuce is one of the easiest food crops to grow. It is ideal for small garden spaces or for containers. Since it doesn't mind being cramped, it can be grown indoors as well. Although lettuce is typically a cool weather crop, there are many bolt resistant and heat tolerant varieties that can be grown in hotter weather.

When planting lettuce in the ground, first of all, be sure that you are rotating your crops. Crop rotation is essential for the prevention of soil born disease as well as other potential problems. Tilling or loosening the soil is also important. If you have your own compost heap, add compost to your bed before planting. It will add nutrients and improve soil drainage.

If you are planting lettuce in a container, be sure that your container is deep enough to allow for root growth. You also want a container that is large enough for lettuce that grows in heads to develop or lettuce that grows as loose leaves to spread. A deep rectangular window box is ideal. Window boxes that have built in reservoirs are also good. Lettuce needs to be kept consistently moist. If it is allowed to dry out, the leaves or heads will wilt.

Lettuce is divided into groups: crisp head is just what it says; an iceberg type lettuce that is slow to bolt and ideal for summer growing. Its drawback is that the internal and non-visible part of the head is susceptible to rotting, particularly during the summer. Of all the varieties of crisp head lettuce, Great Lakes is probably the most dependable.

Summer Crisp, also known as French crisp or Batavian is not well known to most gardeners. Although it not a head lettuce like iceberg is, it is also not a leaf lettuce. It would best be described as an intermediate between the two varieties. Two little known but outstanding varieties are Centennial and Victoria. Centennial is ideal for growing in summer or winter, and is characterized by a look that is similar to crisp head. The outer leaves are crisp and edible, but the head is greener and more flavorful than iceberg.

Butterhead varieties of lettuce are better known as Boston
or Bibb lettuce. The outer leaves are large and ruffled and the inner leaves form a tight, creamy colored head. This is a traditionally European lettuce and one of the best to eat. It is a fast growing lettuce that is ideally suited to poor soil conditions. The

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