Morning Light: The Fetchland Gardening Wire

78 watchers

Rosehip Aug 2022 9:10am, 16 Aug 2022 26,124 posts	0 Rosehip I hope your forecast is right, Hann!
3M (aka MarkyMarkMark) Aug 2022 9:42am, 16 Aug 2022 18,907 posts	0 3M (aka MarkyMarkMark) , the last lot of "replacement" lettuce I planted didn't even sprout. Is it getting too late in the year or something? Do they want cooler temperatures? (I always thought succession planting lettuce was a thing, but it hasn't worked for me!)
Fragile Do Not Bend Aug 2022 9:58am, 16 Aug 2022 10,059 posts	0 Fragile Do Not Bend We just had a pathetic rainfall that I wouldn’t even call light drizzle. Hopefully we will get something more substantial.
Garfield Aug 2022 10:08am, 16 Aug 2022 16,830 posts	0 Garfield Yes, we had a measly few drops FDNB around 9am. It's muggy here...even when I ran before 7am.
GimmeMedals Aug 2022 10:54am, 16 Aug 2022 23,043 posts	0 GimmeMedals I had the same problem, 3M, with carrots as well as lettuce.
Ocelot Spleens Aug 2022 11:29am, 16 Aug 2022 34,437 posts	0 Ocelot Spleens Perhaps enough moisture rather than temperature.
3M (aka MarkyMarkMark) Aug 2022 11:46am, 16 Aug 2022 18,911 posts	0 3M (aka MarkyMarkMark) Maybe - I did water them though. Fairly religiously (but not just on the Sabbath!)
alpenrose Aug 2022 12:42pm, 16 Aug 2022 56,377 posts	0 alpenrose I just checked my 2 water butts by the house - small ones, linked. The first one's full and I realised that I'd left the tap open on the second when I emptied it the other day. It's on it's way folks.
Hanneke Aug 2022 1:30pm, 16 Aug 2022 91,947 posts	0 Hanneke 3FrenchMs yes! I have had the same problems. They like it cool. Consistent temperatures over 25 and the won't even germinate! Then they do, after it cools and we have a bit of rain, but the slugs wake up too and eat the small seedlings! In the past, when I grew for the shop, I would put a tent frame over them, with shade netting and watered every morning at 4 am... If you water then, the slugs don't come out and munch over night...
Hanneke Aug 2022 1:34pm, 16 Aug 2022 91,948 posts	0 Hanneke Regarding lettuces: now is the time to sow your winter lettuces, kales like curly kale and cavolo nero and leeks. Choose a variety of lettuce that has sturdier leaves. They will withstand cold temperatures. I have dug lettuce leaves out from under a blanket of snow. I prefer a loose leaf type and pick the bottom leaves of each plant rather than a head. Chinese leaves do well too, like mizuna, mustards, pak choi, bok choi. They can be eaten as salad leaves and bigger leaves are good stir fried or blanched.