My favorite Romaine is Jericho, but I do treat the Romaines more like leaf lettuces, just as Amy described. Jericho is exceptionally heat tolerant, especially if it has some afternoon shade. Last year I grew Red Romaine and it lasted well into summer, which is not necessarily common here.

Except for the iceberg types that Tim prefers, I treat all lettuces as cut-and-come again varieties. Eventually, the crispheads/summer crisps do head up but that's largely because I'm just not cutting them often enough by that late in the season, largely because I just grow too many for us to eat them fast enough.

Amy, Both Nevada and Cherokee do really well for me, and so do Red Ball Jets, Cardinale and Jester.

Following this. I need new lettuce ideas, and I also want it to last as long into the season as it can.

On the subject of salads, what is everyone's favorite spinach, for the heat? We harvest small for salads, on pizza, etc. I like the flavor of Space, but am open to any mild, heat tolerant variety.

Bloomsdale Longstanding does best for me. Spinach is day length sensitive. It will bolt when the days get longer than 14 hours, which happens sometime in May. Pretty much all cool season greens are going to bolt about then. Succession planting spinach might get you some small warm weather plants, but doesn't it get bitter? Orach is SUPPOSED to be slower to bolt than spinach, but you couldn't tell by me. You might try komatsuna (sometimes called tendergreen). When I grew them side by side, the komatsuna lasted longer. Swiss chard won't bolt, but if I was eating it raw I would want it young and small. You can succession sow lettuce or grow it in shade, but eventually its quality is going to decline in the heat. I like purslane and Jewels of Opar for summer salads. Some people like Malabar Spinach. I am trying calaloo this year, which is a form of amaranth. We'll see. Regular amaranth was too tough for me raw.

Amy - I always grow lettuce and spinach in the shade, and have it into June most years. Maybe that's how I'm faking the spinach out of it's daylight sensitivity.

Yes, you probably are faking out the spinach by putting it in the shade. I like Bloomsdale Longstanding, and also Noble Giant, which sometimes is listed as Giant Noble or even Nobel Giant/Giant Nobel. At some point, even in shade, the spinach quality usually deteriorates or leaf miners find it. If you can keep it going that late in the season without the flavor/quality deteriorating, then good for you. I haven't really found a good hot-weather substitute that makes me as happy as spinach does. I'm about done looking for one, and will just eat my summer kale (kept going almost all summer in shade as well) and Swiss chard instead and be happy with them.

I've grown Parris Island. It grew very well even in a sunny spot. It was a tad bitter when it got hotter. They didn't get full size. I hate them.

For full size Romaine heads I like Jericho and Sparx. They both get pretty big...I've harvested Jericho heads that were close to 4 lbs. I grow mostly mini Romaines now and of those I have tried I prefer Dragoon (green) and Breen (red). They make about 1-1.5 lb. heads. All 4 of these are available at Johnny's seeds.

I do like Breen and it is pretty as well as tasty. Last year I grew Ruby Glow from Burpee and it is one of the prettiest romaines I've ever grown. It also lasted very late into the season without bolting, so I'm growing it again this year. I grow many wonderful lettuces and love them all, but my DH is a iceberg lettuce guy. I feel like growing iceberg is just a waste of space, but will grow it for him anyway.

I'll have to see if I can find Ruby Glow on the Burpee seed rack. I don't remember seeing it before. It sounds like a good one!

I've heard iceberg is tough to grow so I've never tried it. I don't care for it much either but sometimes if you get a nice tight head at the grocery the middle of the head is pretty good.