flowering lettuce?

[lilmissscrubber]

hi everyone

i noticed this afternoon that since this morning, flower heads have appeared on my lettuce........what could this be? i am not sure if i am still about to eat the lettuce!!!!

my lettuce have never really gown more than a few very large leaves so i have never had a full head of lettuce.....it is all very peculiar!

also, could someone help me with the term 'bolting' i see it a lot but as a first time veggie gardener, i have not idea what means!

thanks

[MaureenHall]

I think your lettuce has bolted . Think the leaves are still edible but they tend to go a bit bitter

[rustylady]

Bolting means producing flower heads and then seed. This happens to lettuce in hot dry weather, and eventually to nearly every vegetable. What variety were your lettuce? Some don't produce the traditional "head of lettuce" but are picked as individual leaves.

[Alice]

Sorry, but your lettuce has bolted (gone to seed) and past it's best. You might be able to rescue some leaves for salad. You could make soup with the rest. And you've got time to plant some more - look for some of the fast growing cut and come again varieties.

[vegmandan]

Has your lettuce started to grow upwardly like a traffic cone shape ?

If so It's bolted and you can take a few leaves off to eat but they won't be brilliant.

It's best to just grow short rows every few weeks.

[Earthbabe]

Hi there and welcome. As well as the above you could consider saving a couple of plants, allowing them to bolt and produce seed. Then collect the seed and plant again next year.

That is of course if you think the lettuce is worth it. If not ignore the above.

I did this with green oakleaf - very worth it and of course it means the next year's seed is free.

[Flummery]

Last year I left an oakleaf (red) which had gone to seed and finally consigned it at the end of the season to my compost bin. I dressed the beds I'd made on my new allotment with home-made compost and I have had loads of free lettuces from it. Naturally, they grew where I wanted to put something else, so I transferred them. Interestingly (to me) about half were green!

[Two_Sheds]

Looseleafs are less prone to bolting (flowering too soon). Lettuce likes to be cool, a bit shady. Definitely doesn't like hot sun!
I sow my lettuce quite close together, so the leaves touch each other. This creates nice shady moist roots, which they like. I grow my lettuce beside Calendula, which provides extra shade for the lettuce, and attracts hoverflies, which eat lettuce aphids.