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  • From: Allan Balliett <igg AT igg.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Watering Lettuce Beds
  • Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 23:26:11 -0400

Thanks for this information, Paul and Alison. It's essentially the route that I believe we will have to go. Good to hear that someone else is already putting the labor/materials into producing salad mix in this fashion.

One thing I don't get, though, is the harvest cycle you mention. Here in Northern VA, I am getting one cutting a week from the same bed, and that's happening with almost zero sun. When the sunshines, well, it's embarassing how fast the lettuce grows. This is without additional nitrogen, just compost and water. I can't say off the top of my head how long between seeding and harvest, though. Probably 5wks.


However, the most recent seeding appears to be gettin about 30percent germination. That's not good, I'm afraid! ;-)

So, I also don't understand the use of the seeder. Isn't the tape marking the where the row/bands will be?

thanks again _Allan

I guess I don't understand

Allen,
We use 3-4 lines of drip in each bed and plant a row of mesclun (band of
seeds) on each side of the drip tape - making for 6-8 bands of mesclun in
each bed. We lay the drip, mark the rows with an Earthway seeder, band the
seed by hand, cover with rake or hoe (lightly), and hand water the surface.
We continue to have water with a wand until about 80% germination, then go
to drip exclusively until harvest (about 17-18 days). We only get one
cutting now until September or so from each seeding, but the value of the
harvest makes it worthwhile.

Paul and Alison Wiediger
Au Naturel Farm
http://aunaturelfarm.homestead.com


----- Original Message -----
From: "Allan Balliett" <igg AT igg.com>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 7:37 AM
Subject: [Market-farming] Watering Lettuce Beds


I'm running into a fair amount of unanticipated trouble keeping my
cutting mix lettuce beds watered.

What's happening is that I'm getting rot on the lower leaves of
buttercrunch-type lettuces. My customers like the fluffy head
lettuces in the mix, so I include them. I'm also getting some areas
of the beds that just fall down. I assume that this is a fungus, also
due to watering from overhead.

The beds are within open hoophouses, so they have not been subject to
the outrageous amt of rain we've had this season in Northern
Virginia. I've been hand watering them and have been using mister
irrigation. I was initially using broadcast beds, but have moved to
following Anna Edey's suggestion to transplant 4inch within row/4inch
between row. Unfortunately, I'm still having rot using this method.

I am not overwatering the lettuce in any of the usual sense. It does
appear that leaf lettuce is not having the same problems, HOWEVER, I
would really like to use my black-seeded simpson and other head
lettuces in the mix.

I'm thinking of using mixing to start the seeds and during early
growth and then move to a drip system. Imagining that I'd need 4
tapes to a bed, however, makes me cringe at installing drip,
especially since it locks into transplanting, something I'd sure like
to avoid. Anna Edey went to an underbed watering system, which, about
now, seems like a very intelligent choice.

I'd appreciate hearing your suggestions and how you deal with similar
issues.

Thanks

-Allan Balliett
The Plains, VA
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