Growing Salad Mix, Radishes.. etc.

Barb_FL · April 21, 2018

Your bagged lettuce looks great! Way better than any store bought lettuce. I would definitely buy when we can't grow lettuce here due to heat. How much do you sell that for at the market?

FourOaks · April 22, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Your bagged lettuce looks great! Way better than any store bought lettuce. I would definitely buy when we can't grow lettuce here due to heat. How much do you sell that for at the market?

Thanks for the compliments. This is my first year being successful with lettuce, as it usually bolts. The long cool weather has really helped, as much as we are all tired of it.

Yesterday the half pound bags went for $3. The 4 customers who bought, complimented that it was such a great bargain. So Im thinking I could raise the price a bit and still do ok. My next batch of lettuce I am attempting to go Organic with, which would justify a price increase. Also, out of about 30 vendors yesterday, I think there was only 1 other with salad greens. Also, if this works out and I am the only one producing salad greens in the Summer, then a price increase might be justified.

Im in a unique position that I am experimenting with new crops and selling at a new-to-me market. So I am still trying to gauge the customer base. Its entirely different then my old market.

FourOaks · April 30, 2018

Just a quick update to the lettuce bed. All is going splendidly. The sprinklers are doing fantastic.

Look at the sea of green. Only a few holes in there. Im thinking this would work really well for carrots, radishes, etc. Just about time to install the shade cloth.

GoDawgs · May 4, 2018

You mentioned radishes in your bed. They should do fine based on sister Pickle's little experiment. She used a plastic kitty litter pan with drainage holes drilled near the bottom for radishes. 6" deep pan with 4.5" of soil in it. This pan has been sitting on the front porch and gets maybe half a day of sun. So they reach for the sun and despite our trying to remember to turn the pan around every day to even it out, they still got real leggy. I had no hope for them.

Today she found these French Breakfast!

Note the curved tops. You know how radishes start pushing up out of the soil when they're about ready? My guess is that the radishes themselves started leaning towards the sun. So with your good greenhouse and bed and decent light you should get fine radishes!

I ate the smallest one. Just a hint of heat whereas the ones down in the garden are starting to get hot.

FourOaks · May 4, 2018

Those Radishes look similar to my French Radishes GoDawgs. Mine are misshapen just like yours, only smaller, probably due to the small containers they are grown in.

Dont think at this point in the season I will plant more. This Fall and Winter though...

FourOaks · May 9, 2018

Finally got the shade cloth set up on the lettuce bed. I have a sneaking suspicion the cool weather is gone. Well, at least for several, several months. Its not the prettiest job, but it works. Its amazing how well the shade works. If you wait a good while after the sprinklers run, and lay your hand on the lettuce, its very cool too the touch. Just what I was hoping for.

FourOaks · May 24, 2018

Just an update to the 50% Shade Cloth experiment.

The 50% is working, thats for sure. No signs of bolting or bitterness at all. The only negative is that it does slow down the growth a good bit. This could be seen as a positive if you need to hold a batch of lettuce over, until you need it later.

I have adjusted the sprinklers to every 6 hours, for 5 minutes per cycle. Even after 3-4 hours, in the afternoon heat, the lettuce still feels moist to the touch. Im hoping this doesnt encourage rot of any kind.

Next week im hoping to get another bed sown. Im hoping to be able to have lettuce well into Summer. Im also hoping my competitors wont have any. So, Organic Bagged Salad Mix in the dead of Summer = profit.

April 21, 2018	#1
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	Your bagged lettuce looks great! Way better than any store bought lettuce. I would definitely buy when we can't grow lettuce here due to heat. How much do you sell that for at the market?

April 30, 2018	#3
FourOaks Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: NC Posts: 511	Just a quick update to the lettuce bed. All is going splendidly. The sprinklers are doing fantastic. Look at the sea of green. Only a few holes in there. Im thinking this would work really well for carrots, radishes, etc. Just about time to install the shade cloth.

May 4, 2018	#4
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	You mentioned radishes in your bed. They should do fine based on sister Pickle's little experiment. She used a plastic kitty litter pan with drainage holes drilled near the bottom for radishes. 6" deep pan with 4.5" of soil in it. This pan has been sitting on the front porch and gets maybe half a day of sun. So they reach for the sun and despite our trying to remember to turn the pan around every day to even it out, they still got real leggy. I had no hope for them. Today she found these French Breakfast! Note the curved tops. You know how radishes start pushing up out of the soil when they're about ready? My guess is that the radishes themselves started leaning towards the sun. So with your good greenhouse and bed and decent light you should get fine radishes! I ate the smallest one. Just a hint of heat whereas the ones down in the garden are starting to get hot.

May 9, 2018	#6
FourOaks Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: NC Posts: 511	Finally got the shade cloth set up on the lettuce bed. I have a sneaking suspicion the cool weather is gone. Well, at least for several, several months. Its not the prettiest job, but it works. Its amazing how well the shade works. If you wait a good while after the sprinklers run, and lay your hand on the lettuce, its very cool too the touch. Just what I was hoping for.

May 24, 2018	#7
FourOaks Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: NC Posts: 511	Just an update to the 50% Shade Cloth experiment. The 50% is working, thats for sure. No signs of bolting or bitterness at all. The only negative is that it does slow down the growth a good bit. This could be seen as a positive if you need to hold a batch of lettuce over, until you need it later. I have adjusted the sprinklers to every 6 hours, for 5 minutes per cycle. Even after 3-4 hours, in the afternoon heat, the lettuce still feels moist to the touch. Im hoping this doesnt encourage rot of any kind. Next week im hoping to get another bed sown. Im hoping to be able to have lettuce well into Summer. Im also hoping my competitors wont have any. So, Organic Bagged Salad Mix in the dead of Summer = profit.