I'm hoping you really meant cool crop seed!barnercora wrote:I'm in Ga. also and I am not planning on planting any of the cool junk seed until September. Is just to hot here.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
I grow different types of lettuce every year. I've learned the hard way that lettuce (any variety, they are all basically a milk weed) does not germinate in hot weather. I plant leaf lettuce in late August or early September for fall and winter harvest. I plant head lettuce like Romaine in early to mid winter for spring harvest. I also plant more leaf lettuce in early winter for winter harvest.It's a waste of seed and effort for me to plant it when it is hot (106 degrees today).
I prepare the soil to soften it and add organics. I then mix my seed with sand and use an old garlic salt shaker to disperse the sand/seed mix evenly over the bed. The sand allows me to see if I am getting even coverage. I sometimes lightly brush the soil with my hand until I can no longer see the sand. You don't really need to brush the soil because when you sprinkle the soil with water, it will cause the seed to drop into the soil a short distance. Keep the soil moist for a few days and you will quickly have lettuce sprouts. Continue to keep the soil moist and you will soon have lettuce.
I plant thickly which allows me to start harvesting when the sprouts are small and continue harvesting plants instead of leaves. When planted thick, one or two sprouts or plants quickly fill in the space left when other sprouts or plants are harvested. It's like having a never ending salad bar.
This is a photo of a single twenty cent package of Italian Mix lettuce I bought at Walmart this past spring. (click photo to enlarge)
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/2011%20Garden/IMG_2743.jpg[/img]
This is a photo of my Romaine lettuce planted under my cucumber trellis in the middle of winter.
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/2011%20Garden/IMG_2756.jpg[/img]
Be patient and the summer heat will fade and the cool air of fall will arrive.
Good luck.
Ted
I prepare the soil to soften it and add organics. I then mix my seed with sand and use an old garlic salt shaker to disperse the sand/seed mix evenly over the bed. The sand allows me to see if I am getting even coverage. I sometimes lightly brush the soil with my hand until I can no longer see the sand. You don't really need to brush the soil because when you sprinkle the soil with water, it will cause the seed to drop into the soil a short distance. Keep the soil moist for a few days and you will quickly have lettuce sprouts. Continue to keep the soil moist and you will soon have lettuce.
I plant thickly which allows me to start harvesting when the sprouts are small and continue harvesting plants instead of leaves. When planted thick, one or two sprouts or plants quickly fill in the space left when other sprouts or plants are harvested. It's like having a never ending salad bar.
This is a photo of a single twenty cent package of Italian Mix lettuce I bought at Walmart this past spring. (click photo to enlarge)
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/2011%20Garden/IMG_2743.jpg[/img]
This is a photo of my Romaine lettuce planted under my cucumber trellis in the middle of winter.
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/2011%20Garden/IMG_2756.jpg[/img]
Be patient and the summer heat will fade and the cool air of fall will arrive.
Good luck.
Ted
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barnercora
- Senior Member
- Posts: 111
- Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 1:20 pm
- Location: GEORGIA,USA
