lettuce issues - Starting to rot from bottom up

[pickupguy07]

I have some iceberg lettuce that is (was) doing real well...
Growing heads, and looking good. Heads were still a little soft, and by squeezing the heads they seems too soft.
I checked on one today, and I noticed that it was stating to rot from the bottom side up..
Anyone know why.... or have any possible conclusions... and how to keep from happening to the other heads I still have growing.
THANKS

[gumbo2176]

Don't really have an answer for your problem but am surprised you have lettuce growing this time of year in Ga. My lettuce started to bolt a couple weeks ago and I had to harvest what was there.


I don't grow head lettuce. I prefer the leaf varieties for a steady harvest of leaves as the plant continues to grow. The season is more spread out that way.

[kelly714]

How have you been watering them? Have you had lots of rain? Not sure what else it could be.

[pickupguy07]

actually we hadn't had rain for seven weeks... so I been watering them.. (maybe to much ya think)
Do they need less water them other plants.. everything else seems to be doing well...
My first year so I have a LOT to learn yet.

[kelly714]

Has your weather been extra hot? I see you are in GA.

[pickupguy07]

not 'extra' hot.. few days made it into the 90's the last couple weeks (maybe 4 or 5) Lots of days in the 80's. Keeping the soil dry.. so thats why I been watering. Could be I been giving them too much water.

yeah I got it out to late.. garden wasn't tilled yet.
I paid $2 for four plants.. So I got 4 cabbage, 4 iceburg lettuce, 4 butter crunch lettuce, 4 brussel sprouts, and 4 califlower. Figured I'd see what happened. Butter crunch doing well.. two grown up and I have harvested them (yummy)
Two still growing but look fine.
Cabbage looks like it is coming to a head also.. Brussel sprouts and califlower "looks" good.. lots of big leaves,.. but I am waiting to see what happens next. (not sure what to look for.. LOL)

Broccoli did bolt recently.. it's time to add it to the compost pile I suppose.
I'm still learning.... it's a process
thanks for the replies and help

[DoubleDogFarm]

Eat the broccoli flowers. Chop them up fresh for your salad or steam / stir fry.

IMO, Buttercrunch, butterhead type, is a way better lettuce than any iceberg variety. Romaine and butterhead are superior, again JMHO.


Eric

[pickupguy07]

yeah.. I have to agree. Just from my little experience so far.
My buttercrunch has done will.
I can see you can pick the whole thing at once, or (I assume) you can pick it off as the bottom (bigger leaves) get done.
One lettuce I made produced three one gallon bags of leaves.

[pickupguy07]

Eat the broccoli flowers. Chop them up fresh for your salad or steam / stir fry.

Eric

Really ???
Gosh someone told me when it flowers it's done,.. and has a bitter taste. (of course they was the broccoli itself.. not the flowers)

[DoubleDogFarm]

Yes, Really!

We eat the flowering tops of many different brassicas. Some are sweeter than others. We steam or stir fry mostly.

2010 Buttercrunch and Red Sails
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/DSC02245.jpg[/img]


Eric

[jal_ut]

Broccoli did bolt recently.. I

The part that we eat of the broccoli is the flower buds before they open. If you say it bolted, that usually means that the plant sent up a flower spike. Of course if we are going to eat the flower buds, it has to bolt to make flower buds. Now if it is in full flower, you waited too long to harvest it. Depending on the variety and the conditions it was grown in broccoli heads can be quite large up to 5 inches or so, or they may be much smaller. In any case, the plant will give one good prime head, then after you cut that one off, the plant will try to flower again by sending out side shoots in the leaf axils. These shoots are small, but tasty.

[jal_ut]

About lettuce; I too grow the leafy types. I have never had any luck with head lettuce. I suppose it takes a certain environment that I don't have here?

My avatar shows one plant of Black-seeded Simpson lettuce. If you thin it you will get nice (leafy) heads like this.

[pickupguy07]

Broccoli did bolt recently.. I

. Depending on the variety and the conditions it was grown in broccoli heads can be quite large up to 5 inches or so, or they may be much smaller.

I had a few broccoli heads like this one..
I thought it was huge. Note fork next to it go get a comparison.

[img]https://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/pickupguy07/?action=view&current=firstbroccoli.jpg[/img]

It measured 8+ inches each way.

[DoubleDogFarm]

[img]https://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/pickupguy07/firstbroccoli.jpg[/img]

That is a very respectable broccoli.


When I say flowers, I'm talking when the heads separate too yellow flowers.

Eric

[pickupguy07]

[quote="DoubleDogFarm"

When I say flowers, I'm talking when the heads separate too yellow flowers.

Eric[/quote]

Yeah I am seeing those... From what I've learned by watching this year..
As long as the head stays nice and 'tight' it seems to keep growing. I then start watching them closely, and if I see the head start to be less tightly compressed I'm fairly sure they are done, and it's time to cut them off...
If I leave the longer, they seem to open up, and get 'loose'... then not long after that the flowers shoot out.

[jal_ut]

Yep, you have the broccoli figured out. Now about that lettuce, pick it now and wash it up and bag it and put it in the fridg. I am afraid you will lose it if it goes much longer.