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"As exciting as lettuce," someone once said, who had obviously never seen my lettuce patch ablaze with bright green, maroon, and scarlet. Mascara, Outredgeous, Devil's Tongue, Flashy Trout's Back, Red Sails, Drunken Woman Frizzy Headed - these are all varieties of lettuce that are as colorful as names suggest and are a delight to grow. Surprise your guests and your own palate with fresh, home grown lettuce that has real flavor.

PLANTING LETTUCE
Though the names sound exotic and some forms look delicate, lettuce is actually one of the easiest vegetables to grow. The seed germinate readily in soil that has warmed up a bit after the last frost date.

For best results, begin with soil that has been well prepared. It should be rich in organic matter and raked as smooth and fine as possible. Mark off your rows with stakes and string. Don't dig a trench and bury the seeds. Lettuce is closely related to weedy wild lettuce, and like many weeds, its seeds use light as a signal that it's time to germinate. Sprinkle the seeds on the surface of the soil, press them in lightly to get good contact, and gently sprinkle with water. The next day you can cover the seeds with a light layer of compost to keep them moist. By then they're ready to germinate. Once the seedlings appear, thin the plants so they're about 6 to 8 inches apart.

Instead of rows, you can broadcast the seeds over a wider area. Again, press the seed in lightly and cover with compost a day later. Thin the seedlings so they have four to six inches all around. The lettuce will grow thickly, with leaves of one plant touching the other, which will shade out most weeds.

Lettuce is also an excellent choice for container gardens. You'll need a container that is at least a food deep to accommodate the roots.

Provide plenty of water during the growing season. Once summer turns hot, many lettuce varieties will "bolt," sending up a flowering stalk. At that point the leaves will turn bitter and the plants can be pulled, unless you intend to save the seed. To extend your lettuce season, provide some light shade for the lettuce plants, either by growing corn or pole beans to shade them on the south side, or by creating a canopy of light Reemay fabric on stakes. There are also slow-bolting varieties on the market that will resist bolting well into summer. After the nights turn cool again, replant the lettuce for a late summer and early fall crop.

HARVESTING LETTUCE
Lettuce can be harvested when the heads are mature by simply cutting

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