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Four Season Vegetable Gardening

zone 6 - lettuce patch start?

21 years ago

Hi Folks,

I have been in this KY for four years, and have just built a small hoop patch for salad. I always start some lettuci indoors ahead, but am wondering how soon i can seed out under my plastic-covered patch?? Our last frost date is May 10th or so. How soon can i direct seed greens in my little plastic tunne? I will replace it with remay after it gets warmer - then on to shadecloth.

Thanks,

Toni

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Comments (2)

robin_maine
21 years ago
Lettuce germinates well with soil temps between 40Â°-60Â°. I direct seed and cover with slotted row cover as soon as possible. Your plastic cover should be fine. If there's going to be a heavy frost you can gently cover the patch with a few sheets or a light weight blanket. The frame for the plastic should be able to hold up a little extra weight over night.
tonitime
Original Author
21 years ago
Thanks again, Dear Robin! I made a beeeautiful bed of soil for this new lettuce patch- lotsa compost, manure, peat, leaf mold, alfalfa cubes, and a nice molasses dessert! I've a good heirloom lettuce seed collection and am eager to get fresh salad back in our lives! Today, whilst prepping the pea beds, i noticed that my wintered-over spinach is just beginning to grow again. Yeehaw!
Toni
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