Lettuce

We received over 3" of rain the last two days in this part of Rhode Island. That means I didn't have to water the carrots, beets, lettuce and arugula seeds I've planted. When seeds are germinating (aka getting ready to sprout), it is very important to keep them watered. This is especialy true for carrots. If you miss a single day of watering the number of seeds that germinate will be decreased. In order to keep the soil moist, I add peat moss to seed bed. Peat will retain water and helps with germination. It also keeps the soil light a fluffy which is important for root crops like beets and carrots.

This week I have focused on succession planting for the fall. I've posted about the beets and carrots I've planted this fall, using the space that was previously occupied by spring and summer lettuce, carrots and beets. The lettuce mix we grow at One Love Farm is a spring and fall variety. So, in the heat of summer, we don't have any lettuce. But, with temperatures forecast to be in the 70s next week and lows in the 50s, we should have a big crop of lettuce in the coming weeks.