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  • From: Barking Cat Farm <barkingcatfarm AT mindspring.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Summer Lettuce Production
  • Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:12:20 -0500


On Apr 29, 2010, at 7:06 AM, cjmaness AT juno.com wrote:

>
> Barking Cat Farm: I'd love to hear how you have lettuce all summer as soon
> as you get some time.


Hey Carla and everyone,

We use a mix of shade cloth & variety selection to grow lettuce during the
summer. We grow under row covered low tunnels. We attach shade cloth on the
tunnel around May under the row cover (bit of pain if the tunnel is already
row covered having to work around the ropes). We don't go for complete
coverage on the tunnel, attaching the row cover maybe 1' over the top so that
the East facing side is not shaded much except by the adjacent tunnels if the
next row is covered. The shade cloth completely shades the West side. We also
don't grow out full size heads, we cut at a 'juvenile' size instead. Lettuce
is on drip irrigation. We do not wash or cool our lettuce with water and our
customers report getting 3+ weeks out of it.

I think I saw a discussion on how to attach shade cloth fly by. We use a
simple, secure method - cable ties. They slip through the cloth and let you
fasten it to the hoop pretty tightly. Never have had shade cloth slide or
come off. Can't say that about row cover. With the wind we're having today it
is a wonder that we were able to corral the harvest and that the tunnels are
still covered.

I just added photos to our website that I had been meaning to add anyway,
including one showing the shade cloth from July 2007. We have discontinued
using the plastic mulch in the lettuce and that tunnel did not have row cover
on it yet. You can see the photo here:

http://www.barkingcatfarm.com/farm_photos/lettuce/BE9EC0DFA0EC43BB8C54.html

Kim who is also looking for her hat
Barking Cat Farm
Texas zones 7/8



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