FALL PLANTING IN SOUTH ALABAMA

This is the time of year when I start thinking of planting a lot of lettuce. My son and I are big salad eaters so I try and plant as many different varieties as I can find and have room for. I always plant in pots so I can easily cover with some landscape fabric if a hard freeze is expected and have never lost a pot of lettuce yet with this technique. I am sure it would not work in the north, but it will in the deep south.

Lettuce really detests hot weather so October is a great time for me to grow. I start seeds from middle Sept. throughout the fall, winter, up till March when I finally stop till fall again,. 

I use a good potting soil mixed with my own compost and a bit of sand to give a loose, free-flowing mix that will stay damp but not water logged. I never pull the plants but instead just cut enough leaves for a salad with my scissors. The lettuce will keep growing this way for months. 

If there is one thing I never run out of in the cool months it is leaf lettuce!