Growing Lettuce

Sow: Seeds into beds thinly. Drills about 1/2" deep and 12" apart.

Then thin them out about 6"-12" apart, depending on the variety.

Care: Lettuce loves cool weather. They do not like heat. If you grow lettuce in the winter it can tolerate the cold. However, use a cloche, hoop-house, cold frame or plastic wind tunnel if temperatures get to cold.

Harvest: Cut outer leaves and use as needed. Additional leaves will continue to grow or cut the entire head depending on the variety.

Containers: You can grow lettuces indoors or out in containers. Sow the seeds directly into containers or sow a few seeds in seed pots and transplant when they reach about 2" inches. It's best to plant the seed directly in the area they'll mature in. Lettuce really doesn't like to be transplanted. However, I've had great success in transplanting. The above lettuce I started from seed out side and later transplanted into a larger raised bed. 

Growing Garlic

Sow: Plant cloves in October through February. Plant up to 4 inches deep and in rows about 12 inches apart

Soil: Garlic likes loose soil it will in heavy wet soils, so add sand and organic matter or a soil conditioner before planting if you have heavy clay soil. 


Harvest: When the lower leaves turn yellow or brown, pull up and leave to dry in
the sun for 10 days on a rack. Then remove the outer layer of skin before storing
in a cool place.


Containers: You can grow garlic in containers indoors or out. You can also clip the green stems and use for cooking. 

Growing Cabbage

Currently I'm growing cabbage that I started from seed for the first time. Last year, I planted a few transplants I purchased from my local feed store. I'm happy the seedlings have taken off and are doing quite well.

Cabbage is a hardy vegetable that grows especially well in fertile soils. There are various shades of green available, as well as red or purple types. Head shape varies from the standard round to flattened or pointed. Most varieties have smooth leaves, but the Savoy types have crinkly textured leaves.

Cabbage is very easy to grow...

How day length affects vegetable production

The two primary environmental factors that affect plant growth are temperature and day length. Temperature is easy enough to understand: Every plant species has a temperature range in which it will grow, and optimum temperatures in which it will thrive. 
Day length is a little more complicated, especially in combination with temperature. Understanding the relationship between the two can lead to more successful season extension and variety selection.

The first thing to know is