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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] shading lettuce

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  • From: Liz Pike <liz AT marketfarmshoptalk.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] shading lettuce
  • Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:11:00 -0400

david purpura wrote:
989132.3693.qm AT web34404.mail.mud.yahoo.com" type="cite">
Hi All.  I want to try shading lettuce and spinach this year.  My idea is to put shade cloth over low tunnel hoops and stake down.  For those doing this, what shading do you recommend - 30%, 50%, 60% ?
just be aware of possible increase in slug pressure due to higher humidity under the cloth.  I used 41% shade cloth on the NC coast but that was in a high temp/high humidity area & I had a horrible time with slugs, but only under the cloth.  Test lettuce grown without shade cloth (awfully bitter) had no slug damage. The shade cloth only kept lettuce until the end of May, 3 weeks longer than other local growers who didn't shade. 

Back then there wasn't the excellent slug bait they have now, and I just couldn't keep up with beer baits, too many slugs.  Up here, last year, we used 30% shade cloth and kept lettuce all summer, but then we had cool nights, many in the 50s, and great continuous moisture from all that rain.  We had moderate slug problems.  We used slug bait for about 50% control, and relied on boards laid between the rows at night and sliding them out in the morning to kill the remaining slugs who'd gathered under the boards.  We sold over 600 heads/bags of lettuce and mix a week so it worked.  And I can't tell you, even after triple washing in a salt/vinegar solution, how many slugs rode to market with us and sneaked out on the table.  Customers would remark there was no denying how fresh our lettuce was!  I hate the buggers.

Liz



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