Harvesting Lettuce

Romaine Lettuce

I read the trick was to pick them first thing in the morning before the heat of the day wilts them. This is true. I picked them from the stem and stuck them in a bowl of ice water. They last a week at room temperature in the early spring. As the house warmed up they would wilt inside at around 75 degrees, after two days.

I tried uprooting a plant and sticking it in a glass of water inside.....not sure if the vent dried out the leaves or what, but it did not work for me.
The romaine lettuce survived through 90 degree weather, surprisingly.I covered the lettuce in six inches deep worth of wood shavings and the heat did not bother this plant. The romaine was also planted on the shaded side of the garden where it only received 4 hours of direct sunlight from 10 am to 2 pm.