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  • From: Richard Moyer <ramoyer AT gmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Winter lettuce, mustard and spinach demand, how can we improve?
  • Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2012 23:02:20 -0400

Just had our third winter market of the year (mid-Jan, Feb, then March), and today we sold lots of overwintered greens and carrots.  More earned today compared to any market days last year except 2; about what we earned March 19, 2011.  Could have sold more spinach today.  There is demand for 2x or more markets per month next winter, so we need to bump up production.

We field plant lettuce and spinach in late Sept, cover with light-med weight row cover when below 25F, then pick in late Nove-Dec, then mid Feb-early May.  Uncovered whenever in 50s.  Was so mild this winter we did all of it outside instead transplanting some lettuce into the high tunnel.  Lows were 10F, 13F 2x, then 15-20F multiple times, mild for us.

'Tango' and 'Red Salad Bowl' have been our best performers, under row cover, directly on the plants.  We like the loft, the relatively late bolting in the spring, rot resistance, and the multiple cuttings late fall, then again Feb into May.  Any other lettuces we should try under this system?  Purple Frills and Pink Lettucy and Torazirah mustards have also produced well, though all are bolting now so sold today as various raabs.  Kale holding up very well, though tougher compared to late Dec planting in high tunnel.

Spinach petered out first in this system after good Feb harvest, though spinach in the high tunnel seeded early Feb, gave good first cutting today.  Would fertilizing the field spinach in Feb have helped?  It's not produced as much as lettuces and mustards in adjacent beds.

Overwintered Danvers carrots still holding well, sold almost 100 bunches today and soon need to dig 2x that much.

We are moving toward more seed production in summer and more fresh veggie production Nov-Dec and Feb-April/early May.  

What other greens and root crops could we consider for overwintering/late winter growth in this system?  For max greens and root crops for late fall, late winter/early spring sales?  Will try to meet parsnip and beet demand this year.

Our customer base is hungry for greens and root crops all winter, and we have minimal competition at this point.  We grow mache & arugula and charge more for these, but their demand nowhere near lettuces, spinach, kale and mild mustards.  

Thanks for any ideas,
Richard Moyer
Castlewood, SW VA
Zone 6 usually
Soil temps already in lower 60s.


  • [Market-farming] Winter lettuce, mustard and spinach demand, how can we improve?, Richard Moyer, 03/17/2012

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