I don't know where you are that you are in zone 9, but here in Texas zone 9, it is HOT!

Lettuce is a cool weather crop. I usually plant it in October, and keep planting different varieties through the following February. I just cut and cut, and it just keeps on and keeps on. I love to grow lettuce.

When it gets hot, the lettuce will bolt, and make seeds. That may be what the lettuce is doing that is doing good. Have you tasted it? If it is bolting, it will be bitter, and not good to eat.

If it is not bitter, then snip leaves from the stem to add to your salads. You will definitely know when it is past being good.

When you replant in the fall, you will want to put it in the sun, and give it plenty of water. Water makes the lettuce crisp and flavorful.

As far as when you can clip the leaves, as soon as they are big enough to eat is a good time. I have thinned lettuce and added all the little thinnings to my salad! And they were GOOD, TOO!

Janie

Cool thanks.

We picked two of the plants (cut them back) and had enough salad for three people. It was AMAZING! We want to plant sooo much more. It was so good. And one of the ones we planted is already growing more.

thank you for your response.

jack

Mid august we start Butter crunch in jiffy pots in the shade .....after there up & going we transplant to the garden ....have good lettuce until frost ....... Tony

In Zone 9 (South Louisiana) where it is, as little dani said, HOT...do I plant in the shade or full sun? I thought lettuce needed a bit of shade. My beds run perpendicular to the sun so I thought I would let my lettuce have some morning sun and then plant them so the tall tomatoes or eggplants would shade them somewhat from the afternoon sun.

Good plan or not?

In a hot-summer climate, plant your lettuce in late summer/early fall. It's good if you can get it going in August but it can be a real challenge to start cool-season veggies in the Southern heat, especially if a drought hits. Just keep trying to start seeds every week or so - whatever does germinate will give you an early start, and the later ones will give you a succession.

This year, I started broccoli seeds as described above, in August using three of my shadier beds. I put a floating row cover over them to filter the sunlight, and made sure to water regularly to keep them moist. I had some success: Two of the beds have a few plants each and the third one (shadiest spot) has lots. I'll transplant some from the third into the other two.

Be prepared to expend a lot of seeds in the late-summer germination game.
-O

Zone 9 in hot places like Houston, New Orleans, lettuce is October - March.