How do we grow lettuce?

We love all kinds of greens, so we plant them in large quantities. I especially like leaf lettuce—the most common kind. I usually buy seeds, but this year a relative brought her own, and she didn't know the variety, so I didn't know it either. I've read many times that this crop can grow in any conditions, but no way! We planted them as usual—early spring—but it turned out to be very cool and rainy, so we had to wait a long time for the shoots to emerge.

But that's not even the worst part. The fact is that due to the high humidity (and we had standing water in the garden), the seedlings completely stopped growing. They were flooded, and eventually the lettuce was ruined.

But we didn't despair and planted a new one, the very one a relative had given us. And this was already mid-June.

I was surprised by the appearance of the leaves upon closer inspection - it doesn't really look like lettuce (usually the varieties I grew had elongated leaves, but these were round, as if it were a radish.

But over time, the leaves transformed and eventually became lettuce))).

Since the weather turned favorable, our plants started growing quickly (as usual). These are the leaves we had on July 1st:

Now I’ll tell you a little about some of the nuances of growing:

• Lettuce doesn't tolerate excessively long daylight hours; 10-12 hours is ideal. Less than that will only result in root growth; more than that will result in bolting.
• It is not advisable to plant seeds too densely, as this will prevent the green mass from developing, or you will have to thin them out.
• Sometimes flower buds appear when it gets hot in summer - it is important to pinch them off immediately.
• Before planting, be sure to soak the seeds in water. I soak them for about 5-6 hours; this speeds up germination.
• The depth of the grooves should not exceed 1.5 cm.
• Immediately after sowing, I mulch the beds or cover them with agrofibre, but as soon as the sprouts appear, I immediately remove the cover and do not use it anymore.
• I sprinkle water about once every 10 days—it's beneficial for leafy lettuces. Headed lettuces, however, can only be watered at the roots.

That's basically it. Finally, I'd like to offer some advice: if the weather is very rainy, wait to plant lettuce or sow it in a greenhouse. Otherwise, you could lose your entire harvest.