In a nutshell: Grow next year's lettuce in a new part of your garden. The whole story: Sounds like a soilborne fungus is infecting your lettuce, says Robert L. Wick, Ph.D., plant pathologist at the University of Massachusetts. Lettuce is susceptible to diseases caused by three common fungi: botrytis, rhizoctonia, and sclerotinia. It's difficult to say which specific one is the cause of your problem, but "crop rotation is the key to preventing any type of lettuce fungus," Wick says. "Plant your next lettuce crop on well-drained soil that does not have a history of this problem," he advises. If your entire garden is affected (many crops, not just lettuces, can be infected by these pathogens), you might have to prepare a new spot for your future lettuce. "Head lettuce is particularly sensitive to bottom rot because the bottom leaves hang down onto the soil," adds Julie Rawson, organic farmer and member of the Northeast Organic Farming Association. "Raised beds help lift the leaves up off the soil a little," she continues, adding that you should be sure to provide adequate spacing. "And the earlier in the season you plant and harvest, the better. Bottom rot sets in quickly in the summertime," she says.
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