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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Fall Lettuce was 'Late' Planting of fall/winter crops

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  • From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Fall Lettuce was 'Late' Planting of fall/winter crops
  • Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2011 11:14:27 -0400

This is what we have growing:

Red Shanghai Oakleaf (direct seed)
Black Seeded Simpson variety (direct seed)
Buttercrunch (seeded earlier in trays and currently being transplanted for head lettuce)
Deer Tongue

As we get further ahead into autumn these will do fine until we get a hard frost.  All are growing wonderfully right now.  With the cool temps and fairly regular rainfall we have had pretty healthy growth the past two weeks.  We will direct seed till October 1 then stop.  By the time germination and good initial growth happens the sun is low enough that the leafing is slow.  We pull in beds to close to our packing hut and start getting the outer beds ready for winter (spreading compost, fall, till, and possibly a mulch cover.

Current growth is excellent and I would think there is not too much different between us temp wise though I think we run a bit warmer.

We REALLY start noticing a difference after the first of November be it in the ground or under plastic.

As we get closer to Thanksgiving we start relying more and more on the hardy plants and move to a "bitter" mix of arugula, turnips greens, beet greens, swiss chard, micro mizuna/kholrabi/turnip, and radish sprouts, and use the the remaining lettuce that we have (using floating ground cover if necessary) to soften the texture and flavor.  Once you get customers (in our case more chefs, but at market as well) in the groove and understanding how the season works they are actually sort of craving that bitter mix.  Works out fairly well.

Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855

(513) 967-1106



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