Lettuce is one of the most popular crops for home gardeners. ... That said, lettuce is a cool-weather crop, and once the warm temperatures and long days of summer arrive, lettuce plants go to flower and set seed. Most gardeners rip out their lettuce plants when they bolt.

Can you eat lettuce that has gone to seed?

Can You Eat Bolted Lettuce? Yes, you can eat bolted lettuce but you probably won't want to. Once lettuce begins to bolt it starts producing compounds called sesquiterpene lactones. They are the plant's natural defense mechanism to ward off pests so that it can successfully produce seeds.

What does it look like when lettuce goes to seed?

Small, tender lettuce leaves are attractive to look at and delicious to eat, but when the plant goes to seed, it becomes gangly and unattractive as it bolts (sends up a flower stalk to produce seeds). The blooms resemble small dandelions and the plant becomes quite tall as if it's reaching for the sun.