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  • From: pam AT twinoaks.org
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: hot weather lettuce
  • Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2002 16:14:14 -0400


Allan,
When it's hotter than about 85F I sow lettuce seed in the
evening, water with cold water, then set ice cubes along the rows, before
covering with shade cloth (bits of old tent screen windows actually).
Otherwise I do have difficulty getting lettuce germinated in summer.
> AND I'm v. interested in hearing what varities people are having good
> luck with in the summertime. (Or did have last summer.)
Sierra is by far our most reliable hot weather germinator. The other
Batavian types (Nevada, Cardinale, Centennial, Blonde Batavian,
Kagraner Sommer, and probably the new Magenta) are our best for
not bolting. De Morges Braun, a beautiful pink and green soft
leaved lettuce, is pretty reliable, once germinated, and Kalura, a
big loose green Romaine, did well last year. We're central Virginia,
then Louisa County Desert, as we call it).
> I'm losing a lot of lettuce to bolting this year. The last couple of
> years my problem has been bitterness. This year, it's bolting. Black
> Seeded Simpson has been the most stable of the lettuces I've used this
> year, with things like "Four Seasons" being very disappointing in
> their 'holding' ability.
II can't do Black Seeded Simpson here after April 1st, nor Marvel
after May 15th.
We do 100 heads a week, transplanted, and I use shade cloth, 47% I
think, for two weeks after transplanting. Then I move it on to the new ones.
So I need 200 heads-worth of shade cloth to make that work. It's worth the
money, and it takes an unnecessary stress off the plants and the grower!
Once I used old vegatable net bags as shade cloth for about 50
lettuce, but for 300 - invest!
Pam Dawling, Twin Oaks Community, Louisa, Virginia.




  • Re: hot weather lettuce, pam, 07/05/2002

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