Willie Potter, age 13, of Reno, Nev., for his question:
WHERE DOES LETTUCE GROW BEST?
Lettuce is the vegetable used mainly in salads and it is usually served fresh and uncooked. About 70 percent of the country's commercial lettuce crop comes from California. The cool Salinas Valley in the central part of the state produces head lettuce nearly the year around.
Nearly 50 million crates of lettuce are shipped from California to markets around the world each year. Next leading lettuce growing state is A i zona whe re about 35 mi 1 1 3 en er ates are grown annually. ¬Coming up with around two million crates each year are New Mexico, Colorado and Texas.
Lettuce grows well in areas that have daytime temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the northeastern United States, commercial growers plant lettuce in the spring for harvesting during the summer. Growers in the southern and southwestern states plant in fall or winter for harvest during the spring.
Although some commercial lettuce grows in the northeastern U.S. plant seedlings that have been raised in greenhouses, most growers plant their crops directly in the fields. Lettuce then requires a steady supply of water and fertilizer as it grows.
Lettuce is harvested by workers who cut the heads just above the soil. The workers remove any dead or damaged leaves. The heads are harvested when the leaves are firmest, usually between 60 and 120 days after seeding, depending on the variety.
Since lettuce spoils quickly, it must be packed, cooled and shipped immediately after cutting. On most commercial lettuce farms, workers pack and cool the lettuce in the field. They pack the lettuce in cardboard cartons and put the cartons into special refrigerated trucks. The temperature inside the trucks is kept just above freezing.
On some farms, the lettuce is packed between layers of crushed ice in wooden crates.
One of the most popular varieties of lettuce is called iceburg. It grows in crisp heads and can be bought throughout the year.
Another popular type is Boston lettuce. It is called a butter head. It is a variety that forms loose, partially folded heads.
Iceburg lettuce, which is also called crisp head lettuce, is the major type of lettuce grown commercially in the U.S. The leaves, __ which are brittle and juicy, form ball shaped heads.
Widely grown varieties of iceberg lettuce include Great Lakes and Imperial. Also very popular is romaine lettuce. Here, the leaves curl inside one another, forming long rolls. The easiest type for the home or backyard farmer to grow is leaf lettuce. Historians tell us that lettuce farming probably started in Persia as early as 500 B.C.