Quote:
Originally Posted by kath
I've had pretty good luck growing lettuces through the summer using 40% white shade cloth over the bed supported with hoops and keeping the soil moist. Last year, Jericho, Pandero, Muir, and more did really well. Trying lots of new ones this season, so I'll try to remember to post which ones last the longest- I'm not a fan of bitter lettuce. Also, Perpetual Spinach and Verde de Taglio chard kept pumping out little leaves to mix with the lettuce all season long from the early spring plants! Not only that, but in the late fall I potted them up and brought them into the greenhouse and they continued to provide greens until aphids got the better of them this spring!
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Time to start more seeds (indoors) for greens during the dog days of summer. In the 4 packs are Burpee Four Seasons Romaine, a pack of mixed older seed, and Sandy.
I'm going to go all out with many varieties for fall growing towards the end of June/early July, starting inside and transplanting in vacated spaces.
The lettuce in the photo a few posts above was destroyed by hail except for the plants in the corners. The Metchi Cabbage on the upper left is in flower now. It never produced heads, just large leaves. Chirimen Hakusai - Chinese Cabbage barely produced a handful of leaves and it tastes strange to me. An oakleaf head (which is not my preference) is resisting the heat admirably.
The 40% white shade cloth sounds interesting. Lowes across town sells 80 percent in various colors in bulk for $1.99 per foot. My local garden center doesn't stock it, but a fancy one a few miles away has 50 % for $3.99 per foot. Expensive!
- Lisa