DATE:     11/5/98   
WRITER:   Dr. David Bradshaw, Extension horticulturalist,
          (864) 656-4949 

Plant "Salad Bowl" Lettuce Now for An Early Spring Crop 

     Time is running out on this fall's lettuce. It's time to
prepare for next spring's crop.
     The row covers that I put on my lettuce each night for 
protection from early frost will work only so long. The heading
variety Endro should provide succulent heads until Christmas, but 
it's only a matter of time until the leafy varieties freeze. 
     Every Thanksgiving weekend, I prepare a seedbed in my
vegetable garden so that I will have lettuce in the early spring.
     After removing fall weeds and adding a generous layer of
compost and rabbit manure, I roto-till the area thoroughly. Then
I rake the entire area smooth. Usually bits and pieces of seed
packets are left over from the spring and fall plantings. I mix
all the leftover seeds together and plant what I call my "salad
bowl" mixture.
     Soon the young seedlings are recognizable by variety and
form a colorful mosaic on the dark, rich soil. Unlike older
plants, which are immediately killed by a hard freeze, these tiny
seedlings spend the winter in the rosette stage only an inch or
two in diameter.
     Around mid-February, when the first warm hints of spring hit 
the area, the young plants begin to grow.
     Long before the soil is warm enough to germinate newly
planted seeds, these winter residents are producing a new crop of
salad greens for my table.
     Plant some lettuce now. Next spring you will be the envy of
all your neighbors.
                 ******************************
     If you have gardening questions or comments, write to
Agricultural News & Publications, A-101 Poole Agricultural
Center, Box 340311, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. 
29634-0311.
     You might also want to check out other "Buds and Blooms"
columns under 1998 News Releases at:
http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/agcomm/
                             END