Keep lettuce weed free by hand rather than mulching, which encourages slugs and slimy stem rot. If slugs appear, they can be removed by hand trapped in jar lids of beer, or discouraged by sprinkling diomaceous earth around the plants. Lettuce is a cool weather crop, and by mid summer, most lettuces either become bitter or go to seed. Select only those varieties which are reputed to be heat resistant. There are four types of lettuce.
Romaines have a strong flavor and are extremely nutritious.
Leaf lettuces are also nutritious and tasty. Crisphead lettuces include Batvian and iceburg. Butterhead lettuces are sometimes called Boston Lettuce and are prized for their beauty, satiny tenderness, and superb flavor. Perhaps someday supermarkets will recognize the importance of selling flavorful, nutritious and genuinely fresh lettuce. Until then, one of the ways to enjoy a truly outstanding, delicious lettuce is to grow your own.