I assume they were transplants? Were they hardened off at all?

Not sure what your temperatures are there but lettuce prefers cooler weather. That said I would give them a thorough watering asap and then water every 2 days for awhile. Maybe shade them somehow for a week.

I'd be really surprised if lettuce would grow in San Diego this time of year. But try watering them really well and see what happens. lettuce needs lots of water and a sprinkle of rain doesn't count.

Dave

So we moved the raised bed to a shadier location as well as watered thoroughly and they bounced back! I'm extremely pleased and grateful. Thank you gjcore and digdirt for the help.

"Last watered on Saturday..." even here I would water newly transplanted lettuces every other day for the first few days if it didn't rain. And I mean about a pint each, not a sprinkle.They look parched. Also they are quite large for transplants and consequently have a greater amount of leaf to support.

This post was edited by florauk on Tue, Jul 23, 13 at 5:28

Celestino: I'm in Santee. Nice to see somebody from San Diego.

If you're right on the coast, then you may be able to eke out some fresh lettuce before the Santa Anas hit in Sept/Oct. I'll be starting mine indoors in about a month, but even after I transplant, I'll have to shade them a bit until it cools in Nov. If you are near the coast, you should be able to grow lettuce almost year round, except when those Santa Anas come, where shading, mulching, and watering just may be able to keep them from bolting even then.

Here's a decent planting calendar for the county.

Here is a link that might be useful: Veggy planting calendar for San Diego

Here is a picture of the lettuce after a good watering. They look to have responded well. Thank you @seysonn and @florauk for the tips.

@woohooman Good to hear you're a fellow San Diegan. I live in National City, about 3 miles from the bay. The weather here is fairly cool and thankfully it doesn't fluctuate quickly or in extremes. Thank you for the tips about those santa ana winds. I will also check out that informative pdf.

All the tips and advice are really helpful. I'm really enjoying gardening. It's my first season.

That's better! Although they still look a little dry to me. Keep them watered and shaded and they should be fine.