A large part of the fun with growing your own food is experimentation. Matthew takes this part very seriously, while I just poke fun at him. :D Speckled lettuce is a great variety because of it's juiciness and sweetness. It's also very easy to grow. Here in the south, it's the perfect green leaf to over-winter. Plant in November, mulch, cover with plastic during really hard freezes and January through March you'll have plenty of fresh greens. Remember early on to cut plenty of leaves off. Leave at least two for the plant to use in gathering sun for growth, but trimming always spurs more growth so don't be shy about cutting your first leaves off for a salad. You don't have to wait until the plant is full and lush (it wont' get that way unless you start cutting). Spring as a growing season doesn't really exist in Texas (groan). So come mid-March the lettuce will look beautiful but taste bitter. As pretty as it may be and as psychologically difficult as it is to pull up healthy "looking" plants, you'll be forced to do it. Once it turns bitter, the space can be better used to grow something else. The "winter" growing season is over and the "summer" growing season has begun.
