A few minutes ago I went down to one of the veggie beds to cut a couple of leaves of lettuce for a salad. I was distracted by a red flash under the strawberry leaves. Two ripe strawberries were just begging to be eaten. They are from the plants we bought on our Hawkesbury Farm gate tour and planted on 11 Sept. I’m a LOOOONG way off making my own jam, but I’m harvesting.
Then I took pity on a lonely radish, the last from the myriad I sowed on 16 August. I’ve pulled up a few handfuls of tasty radishes from that batch but honestly, I’m disappointed by the yield. Not sure what I should try next to get radishes, the easiest of all veggies to grow, to actually put in a showing in my garden.
Finally I cut myself some lettuce leaves. This is the cos lettuce sown on 7 June and planted out on 13 August. I’ve been harvesting the lettuce I left undisturbed in the pot since early September but that lettuce isn’t producing nearly as well as those I transplanted into the veggie bed. I think in the future I’ll plant out lettuce when I have the space.
I have no idea how much longer I’ll be able to keep stealing outside leaves before the lettuce gives up on me, but I’m eating a daily salad and the plants are still really healthy and full of leaves. No complaints from me on my lettuce production.
Laura Rittenhouse's Gardening Journal 
Lettuce – one of my favorite garden accomplishments.
I had no idea home-grown lettuce made such a difference in flavor and texture. I was devastated when our “lettuce season” ended and I had to go back to the store. In fact, we all but gave up salads for weeks..
Hooray for garden lettuce!
Lettuce did really well for me this year – but it suffers in the heat of summer. Which is why I planted a couple of native lettuce plants (warrigal greens). They’re supposed to do well in the summer and they don’t die off. Of course I don’t know if they survived under John’s TLC but they’re one of the first things I’m going to check on when I get home.