Alternating plants and shading lettuce...

I have a bed for Broccoli, brussels sprouts etc. This year I put head lettuce in every other square, it is working so well, I wanted to share. The idea, is that they share the space until the lettuce is harvested, and then the big brassicas can spread into the adjoining squares.



I pulled my row cover back, and was surprised at how well this cabbage was shading my lettuce.


This Amish Speckled lettuce is just hiding in the shade.

Great results Squat.

I may try that too. Do you think it would help with spinach too?

I want to try everything, all at once and must find a way to curb my enthusiasm.

Furbalsmom wrote:Great results Squat.

I may try that too. Do you think it would help with spinach too?

I want to try everything, all at once and must find a way to curb my enthusiasm.

My spinach got way too tall for my big collard to shade it. Spinach is behind and left. But it does seem to be shading some bok choy and carrots .

Great use of space. I will likely be experimenting with stuff like this in the next month myself. You are giving me a bit of a head start. Thanks.

Your garden is looking great.
Good idea.
I like to transplant young leaf lettuce beside my broccoli and cauliflower plants so they can get the benefit of the shade. They are in the same block and the leaf lettuce is harvested before the bigger plants need all the space and nutrients for themselves.

Nice! I got the same effect by accident by growing turnips next to my lettuce. The turnips produced tons of nice leafy greens, much taller than the lettuce. It is working beautifully!

See, You DO know Squat!!! Great looking produce!

Has anyone here tried planting lettuce under corn or a part of a different sort of Three Sisters with corn & beans to shade the lettuce?

I'm tempted to try this. I'm harvesting onions out of a block of 7-8 squares this week and thinking I may use this area. We love corn but even if we did not get any good ears, the whole corn & bean plants make good feed for the goats.

walshevak. your lettuce is beautiful! I am curious about your row covers. Are you growing any plants which need pollinating? I am playing with the idea (for next year) to have all greens and root plants in one bed and keep it covered. Perhaps that might help prevent some of the insect damage.

mijejo......You can use row covers over anything, but if its a blossoming plant, you have to remove them when they blossom so the insects and wind can pollinate as needed.

This year I have my crops in random squares which has made it a lot harder to cover the brassicas against flea beetle easily. The row covers block out plants in between and its difficult lifting and checking in a dozen places as opposed to one raised bed.
Last year I had all my 8 cabbages together. Very easy to maneuver the row cover and get them watered, weeded etc. Doing it for every one or two at a time is more labor intensive.
I also find that planting one of each crop, such as peppers, in among my 9 beds, time consuming and tedious and downright painful for my hip and back with all the getting up and moving around and sitting down again.
I learn from my mistakes.
Next year I'll group the crops together and hope the insects don't devour them. Easier to seed or transplant and easier to maintain their needs.

Here's a view of my garden before I put in 9 eggplants in various beds. Those mounds of white insect barrier are over all my brassicas here and there among by 9 raised beds.

Squat_Johnson wrote:I have a bed for Broccoli, brussels sprouts etc. This year I put head lettuce in every other square, it is working so well, I wanted to share. The idea, is that they share the space until the lettuce is harvested, and then the big brassicas can spread into the adjoining squares.



I pulled my row cover back, and was surprised at how well this cabbage was shading my lettuce.


This Amish Speckled lettuce is just hiding in the shade.

The above is from this similar thread: https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t7497-alternating-plants-and-shading-lettuce

This is great information, too, all y'all. qb, walshevack, and squat, you've all inspired me to hopefully less holey brassicas and lettuces next year.

Update for Spring 2012 - Lettuce and Coles sharing space.
Lettuce - Merlot, butter-head, speckled Amish, and frizze.
These are intersperced with romanesco broccoli and sunset orange cauliflower.