Heading Lettuce. Once leaves begin to appear and they are about 4 inches long, you can begin harvesting leaf lettuce. To harvest crisphead, Batavia, and romaine varieties, cut the plant right at the soil line when mature, if you prefer to harvest full heads. Let the lettuce grow a full head. Lettuce Harvest Tips. Pick when the leaves are younger rather than waiting so the taste doesn’t become bitter. Leaf lettuce varieties don't form a head so there's no need to harvest more than you need. If you want a salad in a hurry, reach for the leaf lettuce. Expand your palate and check out these Oddball Spinach Substitute suggestions from gardener extraordinaire Niki Jabbour who really knows how to keep it fresh. Harvest the lower or outer-most leaves around the crown. capitata) straight from the garden. You can pick leaves as … Head lettuce is really best harvested as a whole head […] Harvest in the morning. It depends on the type of lettuce you grow, what type of harvest you are looking for, and what you plan to do with the garden space. For heads of lettuce, cut the plant at the soil line to harvest it. Pinch off outer leaves of the romaine plants at any time during growth for baby lettuce leaves. We’ve learned a lot about how to grow lettuce organically over the years, so we want to share our top lettuce growing tricks with you so you can boost your lettuce harvests. Evening is one of the best times to harvest arugula because the sun's intensity dies down and you don't have to worry about morning dew. Head lettuce is really best harvested as a whole head when it has matured. Growing lettuce indoors is a great way to eat better and have fun growing your own food. Pick when the leaves are younger rather than waiting so the taste doesn’t become bitter. If your parsley is kept outdoors and unprotected, it will die off during the winter. you want to ensure your lights stay low and keeping your lettuce from getting to big is the best way to do that. By leaving the crown intact, you are keeping the plant alive and growing. How to Harvest Leaf Lettuce. Lettuce is one of those gifts that keeps on giving if you know how to harvest it correctly. All lettuces produce leaves out of a central crown in the middle of the plant. When you grow lettuce, let’s be honest, you can only eat so many salads before you are just burned out. Before that happens, harvest the rest of it so that the plant has a chance to grow back the following year. Two strategies extend your lettuce harvest. For heads of lettuce, cut the plant at the soil line to harvest it. Just grab a sharp knife and holding the base firmly, cut off the head. Lettuce can be harvested any time after true leaves form. To harvest: Lettuce can be picked whenever real leaves form. There are many methods for harvesting lettuce plants. Cut off the amount of lettuce needed when the leaves reach a length between 3 and 6 inches. Recipes to Utilize Your Lettuce Harvest. You can start this on very young plants, and keep harvesting for months. While you can allow both loose-leaf and head-style lettuce plants to reach full size in the garden, then pull or cut them at the roots to harvest a whole lettuce, growing lettuce lets you prolong the season by cutting it leaf by leaf or using a technique called cut-and-come-again. Crisp and refreshing leaves of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) provide the basis for a great salad, which is made all the more tasty if you grow the lettuce yourself. If you cut into or below the crown, the plant … Salad lovers may want to plant a container of greens that can be harvested daily. How to Cut Lettuce So It Keeps Growing By Janet Beal SAVE; Few things beat a salad made from a large handful of fresh lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. Growing lettuce indoors is a great way to eat better and have fun growing your own food. Leaf Harvest. Stir-Fried Lettuce How to Harvest Leaf Lettuce. Pick the outer leaves from these plants as harvest, but leave the center alone where new little leaves are forming. Harvest in the morning. Crisp and refreshing leaves of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) provide the basis for a great salad, which is made all the more tasty if you grow the lettuce yourself. Different varieties have different tolerances for how they are harvested {meaning, some will go to seed faster than others if you pick it as you need it}. We love You Grow Girl’s guide for growing lettuce in containers. Harvest in bulk at the end of the season. In this fashion, you get full sized lettuce leaves for meals, and the plant will continue to produce more from the crown. Harvest your greens before they bolt. So when to pick leaf lettuce? Snip off the outer leaves of each lettuce plant once they grow a length of 4 to 6 inches, which should take approximately 35 to 50 days after sowing the seeds. Cut the outer lettuce leaves about 1 inch above the crown. Leaf lettuce varieties don't form a head so there's no need to harvest more than you need. Plan to harvest your lettuce leaves in the morning, when they'll be at their crispest. Sandy Lettuce and colorful mild flavored Red Kingdom Mizuna are slow to bolt, extending the harvest …