KennyP,
Giving it some shade sounds like a fine idea. Fall is a comin'. I had to adjust my alarm clock so's not to get up before the sun rises. I'm not ready to do that yet this year.
It's been a buggy year. Hopper's have munched everything. The cat's are doing their share of controlling them, there are just scads of 'em!
Barb

I just planted a bunch of cool season lettuce, kale, spinach, chard, broccoli, cauliflower. I've been diligent about watering it everyday and it's all coming up and looks great. I can't wait to have fresh salads and such very soon! I have a frost blanket ready & waiting for action if need be in the September.

My lettuce and spinach for fall eating are going out next week.

Dan

I'm thinking of trying a different strategy with my fall lettuce this year. In the past, I planted it in my veggie garden, and covered with a row cover when necessary. The problem is that since I don't have a hoops or other structure to keep the row cover off of the lettuce, once the snow starts falling, the lettuce is crushed by the weight of it. Plus, the staples that hold the row cover down, eventually become frozen in the ground, and difficult to remove. I've got some planters that are a couple feet long that I'm thinking of using for my fall lettuce this year. That way, they can sit in the sun on the porch during the day, and if it gets too cold at night, I can just move them into the garage, or wrap the planter with a piece of row cover. Wouldn't have to worry about the weight of the snow, since they would be on a covered porch.

Bonnie

Hoops are very cheap. 1/2" EMT conduit at home depot is less than 2.00/10ft and that will hold more snow load than your fabric will. You can use 3/4 black poly pipe and secure a furring strip on top to keep from collapsing.; this spring for wind protection I took a piece of nylon parachute cord on either end and tied down for rigidity.

I roll my fabric ends around old bamboo tree stakes and secure with a brick, so the fabric doesn't freeze to the ground. I also made a small Gothic arch house out of cattle panel, under which this winter will go cabbage and spinach.

:o)

Dan

Dan, it's not the expense that keeps me from fabricating hoops. It's the fact that my vegetable garden is in the front yard, and the bed is curved to match the perennial bed on the other side.

{{gwi:416898}}

After the first frost, the t-posts could come out, since the tomatoes would be done, but the shape of the bed would make creating a hoop set-up a bit complicated. The left side is approx. 5' deep, but the right hand side is around 7' deep. The overall length is 12'.

... and then there is the fact that I'm not mechanically inclined, so first I'd have to sell the engineering-type DH on the project : )

My raised bed is effectively 4' 9" deep and I have four different sets of hoops:

, and

{{gwi:10345}}

{{gwi:1218624}}

Dan