The San Luis Valley and other Colorado mountain valleys were growing commercial lettuce by the 1920s, While places like Buena Vista later quit the lettuce business, the San Luis Valley's lettuce production increased with its high altitude, sunny days and cool nights- all perfect for growing lettuce. The Valley had adequate irrigation using ditches and wells. In the 1950s, better cooling and shipping helped lettuce production boom, The San Luis Valley called lettuce "green gold." By the early 1960s, Colorado grew around 6,000 acres. Today, the San Luis Valley still grows over 3,000 acres of lettuce.
Growing Home: Was Colorado the Nation's Lettuce Capital?
