How to Harvest Lettuce

Overview

Lettuce is a very versatile vegetable that can be put in salads and slapped on a sandwich or a hamburger. Lettuce grown in your garden can literally go from the garden straight to your salad bowl. Fresh grown lettuce is also tasty enough that it can be easily enjoyed by itself. Not only is fresh grown lettuce delicious, but you can continually get sprigs of lettuce off the lettuce plant for several weeks.

Leaf Lettuce

Step 1

Wait until the lettuce has grown several large leaves. The lettuce plant will need the leaves in order to absorb enough sunlight to continue growing big and strong.

Step 2

Twist the largest leaves on the lettuce plant off and place them in plastic bags. Give the smaller leaves enough time to grow bigger.

Step 3

Avoid breaking the lower stem when tearing off lettuce. Breaking the stem will prevent that part of the lettuce from growing.

Step 4

Wash the lettuce before placing it in the fridge. Wrap plastic around the lettuce in order to preserve it.

Step 5

Avoid harvesting lettuce when the lettuce becomes more erect and when flowers start to grow. You will see green leaves slowly start to grow around green buds that are on the top of the lettuce plant. At this point, the lettuce will taste bitter if you harvest it.

Step 6

Place a plastic bag around the flower when it turns white. Lettuce seeds can be harvested, but plastic bags are needed to make sure that the seeds don't scatter.

Step 7

Clean out the lettuce plot when the plants start to lay on the ground. Healthy lettuce is able to stand on its own.