It's getting ready to go to seed.

I didn't transplant them unitl early September when they were only a couple of inches tall, and I just started picking them two weeks ago. Can't see how they are ready to go to seed yet.

What varieties are they? Some varieties are inherently bitter.

Not sure now what they were just picked up the seed packets in a local grocery store, I think there was three different varieties. Any idea which types would be inherently bitter, and why would anyone grow them if they were aware.

It is a mystery. Usually lettuce doesn't have a problem being bitter growing into fall.

Endive, radicchio, mustard, and others can be bitter.

Got any pics of lettuce?

Evil Proselytyzing Organic Gardener here: miracle-gro's high nitrogen & mineral salts content has a history of providing inconsistant results in vegetable gardens. Nitrogen encourages lots of fresh new green growth...the kind that aphids just loooove...and you know how ants love aphids...so my condo council is working to ban m-g as we have serious ant problems here.

Anyway.

I'm growing a bit of lettuce myself...should post pictures...quite organically. They're looking hale and hearty. Providing nutrients to plants doesn't have to cost $10 a pop and be day-glo colored; I throw on some worm doodle or bury an apple peel and some newspapers in the beds, and they grow like crazy! The healthy soil breaks down free garbage into nutrients...where m-g sterilizes the soil and makes plants unhealthy. I mean, how healthy would WE be if we only took supplements, and not a normal heathy varied diet?

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. Sorry.

It's possible, though not likely, that the m-g contributed to your bitter lettuce by forcing growth through into the 'setting seed' part of the lifecycle of lettuce, when it gets really bitter. But then again...perhaps you could take five minutes, and sit and taste the different leaves? When you come to a kind of lettuce that's REALLY bitter, rip all that kind out, and then you can let some of the rest go to seed and you'll have happy sweet lettuce for free for years.

The bitterness might have nothing to do with Miracle Gro.

A few days ago I harvested my largest loosehead lettuce plants and they tasted great. So yesterday I harvested the rest because it was snowing. I was taste testing them as I washed and noticed several of them, but not all of them, were very bitter!

I didn't use M-G, just good dirt, compost and early on a bit of turf fertilizer overlapped into it (mostly nitrogen).

Only a three day difference in harvesting, so I don't think that's it. All grew in the same 2 square feet of soil. All had the same soil/growing conditions. All the same seed, from the same packet. None were bolting.

Yet some are bitter and some aren't. I don't know why.

Alexjh, here are couple of pics.
The comments of using MG concerns me, I mentioned using the MG potting soil but I also fertilized with MG twice since transplanting, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

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The following link records taste and bitterness scores for lots of head (including some loose heads) and romaine types grown in Saskatchewan.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bitter Romaine Scores

The problem could be nitrogen or variety.

No bitter culprits there in the pic, except for the arugula-looking green in the far right, the dark green leaf hanging down.

No bitter culprits there in the pic, except for the arugula-looking green in the far right, the dark green leaf hanging down.

Took the words right out of my mouth. :)

I think the "cos" lettuces are bitter but the hubby loves 'em.
My luck with lettuces is lots of water. They love water. I just use a simple, cheap 10-10-10 fertilizer. The kind you buy in a box for about $2. Seems to me good steady watering keeps greens from being bitter. It turned hot for a few days and my spinach tried to bolt, but I pinched off the seed heads and kept the water to it. Just had it for supper and it was mild as ever.

I agree with veilchen and alexjh. It is most likely the Miracle Grow. If you planted in MG soil, I see no reason to fertilize in addition. It is highly possible to have too much fertilizer.

Lettuce should be placed in water as soon as you pick it. I use a small bucket and place the lettuce in water as I go along. I never let the lettuce dry out. If I'm going to eat it right away I'll rinse it and put ice cubes in the water. This will crisp the lettuce fast.

Anyways, growing lettuce in zone 11 is a challenge, at least for me.

I second the aragula - it has a nice nutty flavor when young, but alas, does "turn" quickly.

Try the taste test - let us know.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

I agree with veggievicki -- water, and more water, and lots of nutrients, doesn't matter if it's in the form of organic material or blue juice. It has to grow fast, lettuce in a holding pattern stalled out at the same size without continuing rapid growth will get bitter. I use any cheap generic version of Miracle grow once a week, and unless we get rain, I water every day. Lettuce has very shallow roots and letting the soil dry out is the worst thing you can do to it.

I never use MG and get a lot of bitter lettuce. Any kind of stress at all and they go bitter or just growing them too big and they get bitter. Did you let the pots go a little dry? They never get un-bitter after they wilt a little. OTOH, they never complain about over-watering. I usually start new seeds every couple of weeks. I've got some seedlings sitting out on the patio table right now.

I had a much larger yard at my previous house. Any bitter lettuce got tossed whole into the pen with my four hens. Snap! It was gone roots and all in a minute or two. They weren't too choosy about what they ate. In fact, the larger problem was what wanted to eat them....

Too much nitrogen is bad? Geez... I haven't been using M.G. I always use chicken manure and lots of it, and I know that's high in N. I thought nitrogen was good for lettuce!