[sclarke624]

I have Rom lettuce, grown and growing.  

Question:  Some have gone brown and gungy at the stem.  They are full size.  Some have dead outer leaves.  They are all okay to eat once the dead leaves and gungy part of the stem, you wouldn't eat anyway, is removed.  Are you supposed to harvest them when full size.  I thought they just went to seed if left but do they also start to rot. They are in the garden so watered every day.

Thanks.

[Trillium]

I wonder if you watered them a bit too much. And yes, romaine reaches a mature size then might die, but if the ground is dry then it will set seeds instead. Heat will certainly make seed stalks sprout.
Did you know that rabbits don't like romaine? It's the lettuce of both choice and necessity here.

[sclarke624]

It could be the absolute week of deluge rainfall we had then a couple of weeks ago, Trillium.  Lots of rabbits down on the greens by the sea up the road, but not seen any in the garden as yet, so good to know they don't like them.  Really never occured to me that they mature then may die.

Thanks