Fall lettuce planting.

OK, so it’s the end of July and everyone’s feeling the heat of summer. And, if your garden is at all like mine, it may be a tad overgrown. It’s not that I’m lazy, it’s just too hot to spend much time weeding and such. I generally dart outside just long enough to give everything a drink and then run back in for air conditioned comfort.

But, take heart! One of the best times to garden is right around the corner. This is especially true of cool loving crops like radishes, Brussels sprouts and romaine lettuce. If you plant these out eight weeks prior to the first average frost, you can achieve great results. This is due to the fact that both seed and small transplants will germinate and grow well in the warm soils during the remaining warm weeks and then, as it gets cooler, will really take off. Some of my best harvest have been during this time period!

Ask you might guess, success is all in how well you time everything. So, here are a few hints to perhaps help anyone who’s interested along. Start with a chart that shows the average first date of frost for your particular local. I’m located in the south end of zone 6 and so can expect Jack Frost on or after October the 29th. There is a nifty map can help you figure out your particular target date.

Once you have that firmly in mind, you can begin to make plans on what it is you want to plant and when. If you are going with romaine transplants and you live in SW Missouri as I do you can wait until the beginning of September to place them in the ground. If you are going with seed, then try for mid August. Note however that if the temperatures are above the mid eighties, then you will need to shade the ground. Lettuce, as a rule like cooler ground temperatures in order to germinate. The same is true of the other cole crops to one extent or the other so do a little research.

Now, if you have a cold frame, then you are really in the cat birds seat. Please check out my series of blogs concerning this subject. I was able to maintain a fresh stream of lettuce not only through the fall months, but even in the very early spring by using these to the greatest effect. Note that do not even need to make a very large structure either. In my video on ‘Building a Cold Frame’ I will show you how.

I Got the Raised Bed Blues!

Man oh man, will it ever get warm outside? First, Al Gore comes out with a warning everyone about global warming and then wham, much of the northern hemisphere gets the coldest winter on record. Go figure.

Every winter about this time (late February), I get a bit antsy to plant something in the raised bed area out back. This year, the urge is even more intense due to the cold weather and possibly to the economic times. This year, it’s even more important for many of us to plant vegetables for the dinner table. I got a feeling that, baring a miracle, prices will continue to rise at the grocery store. There was an article on the internet that told about how some grocery chains were hurting due to customers swarming in for the discounted deals while leaving everything else alone. I can’t say I blame them either. I’ve been doing the same thing lately myself.

So, while I’m waiting for Mother Nature to warm herself up, I’m going to have to be content myself with planting starter plants indoors. My first effort about three weeks ago went for naught as it was still too cold, even in the cold frames. However, now that the temperatures are routinely getting up to fifty, I think I’ll give it another go.

First on my list of early starts will be as much lettuce in the form of romaine as I can handle. This year I will be using seed that was purchased in 2009 and which has spent the winter in the fridge. Most seeds will store just fine if you can remember to keep them away from moisture and in a cool spot. I’m still getting ninety percent germination rates from this last batch. So far so good.

Next, once the seeds have germinated I will get them into the cold frames just as soon as possible. By doing this, I will prevent one of the major causes of disappointment for gardeners…loss of production due to environmental checks. Romaine plants are very cold hardy and will easily survive below freezing temps as long as they have had a chance to harden off and get established in the earth.

Other good candidates for early starts are radish seed (plant these directly into the cold frame for an early harvest), spinach and any other cole crop you might want to try. Just make sure to coddle the young plants for the first couple to three weeks before hardening them off. I’ll post an update as soon as I have some plants ready to go.

Spring is Here!

It’s now 5 days into the spring of 2008 and you can tell that Mother Nature is beginning to wake up from her winters nap. I’ve noticed that the Bradford pear trees and Forsythia bushes are in bloom with their distinctive white and yellow blooms. Also, the daffodils are making their appearance around the neighborhood. I mention these because, more than anything else, this tells me to get busy in the garden. In addition to all the blooming going on, it is also great to report that the temperatures seem to be now moderating into more tolerable levels. I took a moment during my lunch break to put a tray of Little Caesar Romaine plants out into one of the raised beds. They are still tiny and look defenseless but with some conscientious watering on my part they should do OK. Yes, they have been hardened off over the last week and will be able to withstand the still cold nights we are getting. I hope. Right next to these are a few early broccoli plants I purchased at a local nursery. They have been in place for about a week now, as transplants, and look raring to go. Likewise, my five or so head lettuce starts are perking right along. These guys represent my early test plantings and if they can tolerate the climate for the next week to come, I will be ready to begin planting in earnest.