Generally, a bolting lettuce is a bad thing. The leaves are so sour you can’t eat them, and all your efforts in watering the plant and protecting it from slugs are entirely wasted. But some people grow lettuces just to see them bolt. Why?
Firstly, a bolted lettuce is a thing of beauty. You might not be able to eat it, but a three-foot leafy spire makes a stunning exclamation mark in an ornamental border or potager bed. I have seen gardeners who have interplanted lollo rosso with green cos lettuces, allowed them to bolt, and chuckled as visitors try to work out what those stunning, almost italianate pyramid plants are. These lettuces are in the potager at Parham House in Sussex.
The second is a matter of economy. When a lettuce bolts, it is answering nature and producing flowers and seed. And once that seed is ripe, it is yours for the keeping, and for the sowing, and then for the eating. Allowing a small patch of lettuces to bolt every year means you can become self-sufficient for salads, no longer shelling out more money every year for new seed.
All you need to do is wait for the seed pods to develop, pull up the plant and hang it upside down in a paper bag until dry. Then, rub the seeds off into an envelope, and store in the fridge until needed.
10% off at Victoriana Nurseries
Anyone visiting Victoriana from F&F will automatically get a discount on their order. Click the link above.
Latest posts by F&F members
Fabulous Valentines day flowers from Interflora.
Image a day
