Usually, I am so analytical. I just told a friend yesterday that we can build or make anything with the internet at our fingertips and the wonderful friends with have for guidance. I, however, was in no mood to me rational or patient and pulled up my lettuce and replace it with herbs and some rescue heirloom tomato plants. I did not even bother to do my internet research!
For the heck of it I later decided to research the bitterness... this is what i found... :(
As you know, lettuce turns bitter in hot weather and also when the plant begins to set seed, and that's one of the reasons why lettuce is considered a cool-weather crop. But another cause of bitterness is inconsistent moisture. Lettuce plants have shallow roots, so be sure to water them well throughout their growing season and don't let them dry out between waterings.
Another culprit is inadequate nutrition. Lettuce needs to grow quickly; if the plants stall out, the leaves become bitter. Feed your lettuce lightly with a nitrogen fertilizer every two weeks. Pick the leaves regularly. Older leaves can tend to become bitter as well. You could experiment with your soil theory by creating a raised bed, bringing in a load of topsoil from another source. Or try raising a crop to maturity in a container. You also might try planting a mix of different varieties and taste-testing the different varieties.
If you do harvest bitter leaves, wash and store them in the refrigerator for a couple of days. The bitterness will go away.
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