lettuce update

It's been a while since a lettuce update. I think last time we saw them, they were spindly 1.5" tall blind hopes. They were flailing about in the window box, looking for more space, so, I moved them outside. They are in boxes along my back porch, however, some wouldn't fit so they are in individual pots. It has just started to get cool enough, and they have firmed up and taken off. All those except the ones the squirrel has stolen. Yup! I caught him red handed. I had suspected that it was the cat--now what would a cat want with lettuce? I didn't know, but little holes kept appearing where lettuce plants had been. Anyway,
I was in my kitchen one day, and I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye on the back porch. I though that it was one of the cats, so I looked, and found mr. squirrel. He was slinking along the bench. Every time he'd get to a pot, he'd stick his head up and check to see what's in it. So, he looked at the geraniums, and passed....he went on to the cat water bowl, and passed. He stuck his head up and sniffed the one little pea plant I have (which I think that I would have gone out at this time and gave him the what for) and passed it. He went to the next pot, which had three lettuce plants in it, and jumped up on the edge. He then proceeded to dig a little and pull out one of the lettuce plants, and run off with it. So, now there's only two in that pot. I guess that times are hard on the squirrel front, too. So, he can have as much lettuce as he wants, since it seems to be one of the things that I can grow very well. Another that's doing well is the banana peppers; they don't seem to look like it, but the fruit is pretty good. The plant looks all spindly, and just when I think I've got to pull that plant out and start over, I find 3-4 pepper buds on there. I picked 4 today, and there's 2 flowers left, and 3 teeny tiny peppers going at it. So, I guess I'll wait, again.