WHY IS MY LETTUCE BITTER?. ROMAINE.

Question

i AM GROWING ROMAINE LETTUCE IN A CONTAINER ON MY DECK. WHEN I BREAK OFF A LEAF, IT DRIPS A MILKY WHITE SUBSTANCE AND TASTES BITTER.

Answer 1

Terri -the milky white "juice" is normal.  Your plant may have bolted, which means it's gone to seed or is getting ready to.  The plant will put all its energy into making seeds at the expense of the taste of the leaves.  Lettuce is a cool weather vegetable, so toss it (or compost it) and plant seeds again when the weather turns cool.  

Hope this helps!

Comments

Same problem but this answer isn't relevant, it seems. How early must one plant? April? March? We still had snow on the ground into April, and it frosted into May. It has been cool all spring here in Rochester, NY (a few warm days waaay early on when the plants were tiny), plenty of moisture, shaded location, the soil is naturally rich and balanced (plenty of worm castings for fertilizer, too), the romaine isn't big at all, it is not even close to bolting, and the other type of lettuce we are growing just 2 feet away is not even slightly bitter! Any other ideas?

Answer 2

also test your soil.........ph should be 6.0-7.0..........next time trim it with cleaned sizzors to harvest and don't let it get as big.