For An Endless Supply Of Lettuce Try This Clever Harvesting Method

Growing your own food is a lot of work. It requires hours of back-bending digging, sawing, and harvesting. Yet, it's so rewarding, and it keeps us coming back for more. However, those tricks that are said to produce a more bountiful crop are always welcome, including the smart lettuce harvesting method. By simply cutting the leaves from the head, rather than plucking the entire thing from the ground, you can have an endless supply of lettuce. That's right, no extra work is required — just come back in a week and grab more greens. One head can give you several harvests because lettuce is a cut-and-come-again crop, meaning you can cut the leaves, and the plant will regrow new ones in their place. This isn't just the case with lettuce, it's also true with basil, bok choy, kale, and other leafy greens. 

While this is a handy hack, we must admit that "endless supply" could be a bit of an exaggeration. You can repeat this process three or four times each season with the same plant. Eventually, it will get tired, and the leaves will shrink and lose their fresh taste, becoming almost bitter. In any case, lettuce growing season ends in the fall, so "endless" isn't quite possible, unless you're growing it indoors. Still, growing three full lettuces from each head will keep your family well-fed from spring to fall.

This harvesting method is simple. All you need is something to cut the lettuce with, like a clean, sharp knife, scissors, or shears. With your hand, gather the leaves you want to harvest, as if they were a ponytail. Then, cut the leaves about one to two inches above the ground. Leave the base in the ground undisturbed. The leaves will regrow within a week or two. And if you only want a tiny bit of lettuce for today's salad, you can also use this technique to harvest just a few leaves at a time. Simply cut the desired amount from the side of the lettuce, an inch or two above the ground. To keep them thriving, avoid common gardening mistakes that can kill lettuce plants. For example, keep a consistent watering schedule, even with the cut-off heads. Just continue to water the lettuce daily or every other day, as you did before taking the leaves off. This is true whether you're growing crispy lettuce in containers or directly in the garden.

After a few harvesting cycles, when your lettuce starts to get tired and bitter, call it quits and simply pull the whole plant out of the ground. Instead of pulling lettuce from its roots, you can also cut through the head and leave it alone. Eventually, you might get lettuce flowers and be able to harvest seeds.