Hey Y'all,
I'm a newbie - both here and in Texas. (live in Matagorda County, 4 miles inland) and I need to grow leaf lettuce, spinach and romaine under shadecloth this summer......I know it's dicey, but I sell vegetables to folks in my little town and I really need to know some varieties that can put up with some of our heat. Help! Surely somebody has some suggestions that I can try.....please
summer lettuce
You might check the A&M site and/or call your local county extension agent or Master Gardener coordinator.
Spinach and lettuce will not grow in S.E. Texas in June~September. Shade cloth is not going to prevent the plants from experiencing 80-100 degree temperatures which cause the plants to bolt and taste incredibly bitter.
I suppose you could grow lettuce indoors under Fluorescent or High Pressure Sodium grow lights.
You might want to look into New Zealand Spinach. It has its advocates and its detractors. It will handle warmer temperatures but the verdict is out on whether it actually tastes like and is interchangeable with spinach in recipes and for fresh eating.
This message was edited Apr 28, 2009 4:40 PM
About the best I can think of is "alternatives" - if it has to be leaf and head lettuce and regular spinach, it is not going to work well all summer unless you grow inside under lights as suggested above. Feldon has grown lettuce inside under floro lights and had pretty good success, as I recall.
Jericho Romaine is a lettuce I like that tends to be slow to bolt and will hold up longer for taste than many, but not enough to grow throughout the *entire* summer for our weather - it can work for a while if sited well though.
If your customers will accept alternatives, chard can be grown here throughout the summer if sited well. Not in all day blazing sun, some place where it would get shaded from the worst of the midday heat would be preferable (a good part sun area). I used to grow it every yr, but got out of the habit. Bonus - plants frequently overwinter here. Mache might be another possibility I can think of for "greens" that could either be eaten raw or steamed.
This message was edited Apr 28, 2009 10:18 PM
thanks, y'all. I have checked the a&m website. Interesting to note that I have gotten six suggestions from the University of Hawaii on varieties that should grow here. The bed is dappled shade in the afternoon, so it will grow greens. Mache is a great idea, and I too am not sure about New Zealand spinach....will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for all of your suggestions.
What were the six suggestions you got from the U of Hawaii?
Hi Suze,
Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. Been in the garden.....
Their first suggestion was Anuene, a head lettuce they developed. Available at Southern Exposure. Next favorable were Fireball, Tropicana, Red Sails and Green Star. In romaines, they recommended the Israeli Jericho and Tampala. I'm also going to try climbing spinach which my local master gardener swears she can make last! Still buying seeds for all these and putting up shade cloth in the corner under some mesquite trees to see how it goes. Will let you know.
Thanks for your advice. Appreciate it.
latexan is this your first summer in texas? lol. now i'm just kidding. i'm such a kidder.
Another couple of things you may consider for the Texas heat that you could still plant this year would be Malabar spinach and/or Amaranth greens. I've order both from Johnny's seeds and am going to try them for the first time this year. Texas Gardener magazine has a monthly activity guide that suggests them each year. That magazine is a good read especially if you'd like to familiarize yourself with old standbys and new ideas for Texas.
I'll add my two cents if I may...
I believe the climbing spinach and the Malabar spinach are one and the same and it will do well here. In fact, it really won't start growing well till the blistering temps begin. But I'm not sure how saleable it will be and I think you will find it is an acquired taste.
A pretty ornamental vine that is much prettier vine than it is well received on the salad plate.
Do keep up posted on y'alls results.
I'll add my thoughts on malabar spinach, too. I grew both the rubra and alba varieties last year and they really are pretty, but I did not acquire the taste for it, so I will be using my space for something else this year.
I am very interested to hear how your Hawaii recommended lettuces do here. Keep us posted!
Tonya