Bob

You want to know how to use season extenders in order to get a head start on your growing season. I use cold frames and slotted row cover. You also want to know your average last frost date so that you can get a good idea of when to uncover the lettuce. Lettuce doesn't like to be hot so the sooner you can uncover it permanently the better.

Check the days to maturity on the varities you're going to grow. I start with the shortest days to maturity under slotted row cover to get my earliest harvest. Lettuce germinates best in cool soil of 40° to 60° so it can be one of the first things you plant. It appreciates quick growth in good soil before the weather gets hots.

If you can start the seeds early and transplant out you can have a good head start. I set it out into the garden when it has four true leaves. True leaves don't count the first two leaves, called cotyledons.

I agree with Bob - call Lynne. She's very nice.

The difficult part is spreading out the days to maturity by the right amount at the start and end of the season, so you don't have gaps.

I have a gap right now because I was away for 2 weeks in July when I should have been sowing seeds :-). I will have another gap soon bcause an entire batch of 48 lettuces is now down to one, due to wireworms in that particular bed. The next bed over is much less infested.

Kevin