Wash the lettuce leaves under cool running water. Another answer to why does lettuce turn bitter is nutrition. 3 Answers. Soon, spring passed, summer heat arrived, and gardening websites like this one are inundated with questions: Why is my lettuce bitter? Too little water can also cause bitter lettuce. Lettuce is a cool-season vegetable and when temperatures start to get to warm the plant will start to mature faster and bolt. If you think nitrogen might be the cause of your bitter tasting lettuce, add a small amount of wood ash to your soil. Dr. Al Hegab answered. He claimed the outer leaves were bitter while I think they taste sweet. Please enter your question and include your locale or zone. I pick first thing in the morning before the sun rises. Most likely, your bitter lettuce is the result of the maturation process. Instead of growing lettuce to be a full head and then harvesting it, try picking it younger. Bellie Post #9108824. Super-tasters have lots and lots of pink dots because they have double the number of papillae compared to non-tasters. But one of the most common problems when growing lettuce is that you get frustrated with how bitter it can taste. I’m not good at gardening, but I’m trying! Most gardeners will tell you that bitter lettuce is the result of summer heat; lettuce is known as a cool season vegetable. That is when the lettuce bolts. Without proper nutrients, growth becomes stunted and bitter tasting lettuce is the result. Whereas buttercrunch, romaine, red sails, and ruby tolerate high temperatures much better and are slow to bolt. Anybody have any suggestions for what to do with the very bitter baby Romaine lettuce I recently got from my CSA? It will continue to produce its leaves for multiple harvests as long as the plant is healthy and kept at cool temperatures. They probably cut off the flower stalk and sold it. You can also choose varieties that are best suited to your climate. Subscribe to my newsletter and receive your printable fall garden chores cheatsheet as a free welcome gift! Which means that in the center of the lettuce the flower stalk comes up and that tells you that the lettuce has gone too far. Sometimes the soil can also play a roll in the flavor of the vegetable. This last time, was the best so far, but the bitter taste crept up by the end. The answers to your questions will be posted under Q&A for you and … Choose varieties that are bolt resistant or well adapted to your gardening zone and plant them as early as possible. Kerry. The most common cause of bitter lettuce is the summer heat. share. A word of caution, if you overdo the blue food colour and end up swallowing … Jul 4, 2016 - The reason why Lettuce tastes bitter, is because, it has been grown too slow and not enough water. I need to start eating healthier and I've never tried lettuce. The smell is a pretty good indication of how it will taste. I speak not as a lettuce grower, but as someone who has been served many many many home grown … Relevance ♥Sweetness♥ Lv 7. Stick out your tongue and take a picture. When temperatures rise above this it can slow the plants growth. You waited until the last spring frost and quickly sowed the seeds for your lettuce bed. Avoid bolting by keeping lettuce plants out of hot midday sunlight. We will probably plant some more bibb lettuce later in the year for a fall harvest. Like most greens, lettuce needs a lot of water to keep healthy and sweet tasting. Here's an example. There are a couple of things you can do if your lettuce is bitter already though it’s easier to prevent than to correct. However, why not go ahead and try the cold water method and see if it works. Your lettuce stops producing leaves as starts producing a flower stalk. Lastly, aster yellows phytoplasma, commonly called aster yellows, is a disease that can cause bitter lettuce. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! 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