Lettuce Lean-to

It's still so hot in South Carolina, we've had trouble getting fall plants to grow, especially those that require a fair amount of moisture to do well. It hasn't rained in weeks! But DH got crafty with a plastic garbage bag and as a result some lettuce seedlings we transplanted a couple of weeks ago are thriving!

We pulled tomato plants that had stopped bearing from the rear row of one of our 4x4 beds and planted the seedings there. We left in place the red plastic that had been mulching the tomato plants, just 'cause it was there. The rest of the bed still has thriving pepper plants, all of which are staked. DH used clothespins to attach the garbage bag to the now-unused trellis fabric on one side and a couple of the pepper stakes on the other, thus providing shade from the hot sun. We use a mister to help keep the lettuce cool and moist.

This wouldn't hold up in a strong wind, mind you, but for our current weather conditions it's been just right!

In this photo you can see how the garbage bag is attached to the trellis and the pepper stake on one side of the bed.

Here is the misting attachment at work.

And this is the project supervisor, otherwise known as Butterscotch.

I am sure the cat is annoyed you put the plants in his box. What a great idea! I may do the same - maybe cover the west side so they don't get that killer afternoon sun.