Lettuce, why are you bolting away?

Our lettuce bolting

Lettuce is one of the most common plants in a container garden. In Puerto Rico the common lettuce is called "Lechuga del Pais" (translation: The Country's Lettuce) which contrary to its name is not actually from Puerto Rico. For those in other countries who want to grow "Lechuga del Pais" it's sold as "Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce". "Lechuga del Pais" is a loose leaf lettuce. This type of lettuce is preferred in containers over the "head" kind because it requires less space. Also lose leaf varieties offer the advantage of allowing you to harvest only what you need instead of harvesting the whole head.

Being a cool season plant lettuce presents challenges in Puerto Rico since it's always hot (except in winter in the central mountain region). The main challenge is delaying or preventing a process which occurs in hot weather called bolting. When lettuce (and other greens such as spinach, arugula, etc) receives more sunlight than darkness the plant goes through a rapid vertical growth which results in the production of flowers, and ultimately seeds, at the end of a long stem. In other words, the plant, being under stress (read:hot temperatures), determines that it will not survive and moves rapidly to achieve every plant's ultimate goal: providing seeds for the next generation. 

Bolting is inevitable in hot weather which is why it's recommended to plant lettuce in Puerto Rico between September and March. Also, you should consider buying seeds or plants that are "slow to bolt" or "heat tolerant". This information is usually prominently displayed in the seed packs. If/when your plant bolts you have two choices: pull the plant immediately and harvest since the leaves will turn bitter or let the plant produce seeds which you can use for the next crop. We took the latter route and we're letting our lettuce go to seed. Have you had a lettuce bolt? What have you done with it?