In November, three gardens are flourishing, the fall lettuce garden, the fall spinach garden, and the winter spinach garden. I harvest from the two fall gardens, and they supply all my needs. I watch the development of the plants in the winter garden and make adjustments if they are needed. On the first of November, all three gardens get a light application of fertilizer.

The weather dictates the management strategies I must use to maintain a thriving growing environment for all my plants. However, I cannot control the length of daylight, which is shortening. As it shortens, the growth rate of all the plants slows. That is one of the reasons for the large number of plants, both lettuce and spinach, that I endeavored to establish beginning back in August. With an ample number of plants, I can continue to eat far more than my share of delicious lettuce and spinach greens every day, and that, of course, is my goal.

Lettuce Storage Tips: In November and December, cold nights threaten to ruin mature lettuce plants even though the beds are covered with glass. The best solution is to add insulation on top of the plants (under the glass) or on top of the glass to prevent freezing. Another option is to pull up the plants and cut the tap root leaving an inch or so at the base. Next, wash the plants and refrigerate them. After 10 days, rewash, trim another 1/4 inch off the tap root, and put them back in the refrigerator. This extends the lettuce season nearly a month in early winter. Harvesting the lettuce and storing it also allows you to turn the soil where the lettuce was growing and allows it to freeze in preparation for spring planting.

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