When first frost warnings are being forecast, I haul out a large sheet of heavy plastic to have ready to blanket the plants for protection when dips below 35 F threaten. Usually the first frost is short-lived and not that extreme. It is more often than not followed by a week or two of frost free days making it well worth the effort of having covered the plants. The cover should not be air tight, and should not be left on once the sun begins to warm the air. There may be a several rounds of these light, short-lived frosts so I leave the plastic out where it can easily be pulled up over the plants in minutes.
Fall made its debut this year with freezing temperature the mornings of October 16 and 17. Potted peppers and zucchini I brought inside. The green beans were about finished producing anyway, so I harvested what was left and composted the vines.
The temperatures yo-yoed the rest of the month with more 80’s and more freezes.
LETTUCE, an annual plant of the Daisy family, is used for salads, sandwiches and wraps. Lettuce was cultivated in Ancient Egypt over 6,000 years ago as evidenced by tomb paintings. The Roman emperor Augustus erected a statue of the doctor who prescribed lettuce to heal him. It was believed to have sedative and pain relieving qualities. Romans made sure to include lettuce in banquet menus to help prevent inebriation.
60 days — Buttercrunch is a dark green bibb lettuce with reddish tint that is heat tolerant and slow to bolt. Its large heads are rosette shaped with thick leaves. Bred and introduced by Cornell University in 1963 and became an All-America Selection winner that same year.
Ice Queen 62 days - crisp head. An heirloom French iceberg lettuce, from the late 1800’s, also known as Reine Des Glaces. Outer leaves are ruffled with jagged edges and tucked inside is a crispy textured head. It exhibits excellent heat tolerance.
Jericho - 60 days - was bred to grow in the deserts of Israel by one of the largest organic seed producers in the world; family owned Genesis Seeds. Jericho is very bolt resistant and remains crisp and sweet in the hottest weather. This cos type provides a large, dense head and is resistance to downy and powdery mildew and lettuce mosaic virus.
40 days - Little Gem is a small English romaine heirloom lettuce with the succulent sweetness of a butterhead. The glossy-leafed heads are a petite, 6" tall and 4" wide - the perfect size for an individual dinner salad. The tender, blanched heart is ideal for any recipe that calls for "hearts of romaine.”
40 days — Marvel of Four Seasons, as the name suggests, is a marvelous Bibb lettuce variety that can be grown nearly year-round. This French heirloom ‘Merveille de Quatre Saisons’ was first introduced to Americans on the classic PBS series, "The Victory Garden." Ruby red-tipped leaves surround tight folded green hearts. It grows great through the summer heat and can withstand down to 20ºF in a sealed greenhouse or cloche.
Parris Island - 68 days - is a romaine lettuce with crunchy, sweet leaves, buttery-green heart, and vigorous growth. This nutritional, 10”-12" upright Cos was developed around 1950 by Clemson University. It can be harvested as a baby green in as little as 21 days. Ideal for lettuce wraps. Plants resist tipburn and are mosaic virus tolerant
Red Salad Bowl - 50 days - the reddish-bronze colored leaves make a very attractive addition to a tossed salad. It is slow to bolt during the heat of the summer allowing for a long harvest period.
80 days - Salinas is a crisphead-type lettuce that develops into solid, medium-large heads with outer wrapper leaves that are slightly dull-green in color, with scalloped or wavy leaf margins. The interiors are creamy, firm to hard at maturity. It is heat resistant and thrives in locations that receive full sun to partial shade. Introduced in 1975, Salinas was bred by Edward J. Ryder, well known as "Dr. Lettuce" or "The Lettuce King," and acknowledged as the world's foremost expert in the genetics and breeding of lettuce.
58 days - Simpson Elite was developed a little over 100 years after the introduction of one of its popular parents, Black Seeded Simpson. It still has the frilly, bright yellow green leaves, but is more consistent in quality and less likely to bolt early. Simpson Elite was bred by Dr. William Waycott of Petoseed Company by stabilizing a cross between Black Seeded Simpson and Slobolt for nine generations from 1982 until 1994.
Summertime - 68 days - Bred by Dr. Baggett at Oregon State. Baggett’s goal was to develop a head lettuce that would mature in summer’s heat without bolting and was also resistant to tip-burn and rib discoloration. Summertime consistently yields the highest percentage of usable heads. The flavor is good & the texture is very crisp.
70 days - the medium-sized plants of Wayahead produce compact buttery heads of savoyed, vibrant green leaves with tender, cream colored hearts. An exceptionally early variety that thrives best when grown as a cool season crop for Spring or Fall harvests. Like many lettuce varieties, it can become bitter in hot weather. It was originally developed and introduced in 1908 by Altee Burpee Seeds.
Winter Density - 28 days - This English Romaine heirloom is a compact 8” with thick dark green leaves packed full of flavor. Slow to bolt or turn bitter, and keeps very well after harvest. You can begin harvesting baby heads at 28 days, leaving others to reach full size a few weeks later.
Oct. 29 The last 80 of the month which I expect to be the last 80 for the year. Harvested French tarragon, sage, and Greek oregano.
The tarragon is good in most spice mixes, in moderation. It has a strong licorice flavor. Tarragons other than French are sold by seed catalogs, but they have a very flat taste while growing that disappears quickly once harvested and completely disappear with storage. French tarragon has to be propagated by cuttings, not seeds, so it will be a bit more expensive initially, but the Mexican, Russian, and etcetera tarragons are a total waste of money. You will be disappointed - especially if you’ve tasted the real tarragon - the French cultivar. Some family and guests have an aversion to the licorice, anise, flavors in prepared dishes - so a word to the wise. I really like to top salmon with butter and tarragon before baking.
There are also a variety of oreganos marketed. I am partial to the Greek. It simply has more full bodied flavor once dried and storaged than other varieties I’ve tried. I use it in herb mixes generously and in making tomato sauce. So I use a lot.
I grow the broad leafed sage. It is easier to process than the narrow leaf variety, and I find it more reliably productive. Flavorwise, the narrow leaf may be more pungent, but I’m very content with the peppery taste the broad leafed sage adds in cooking.
