Growing lettuce in hot weather

[David Jones]

I'm awed by the lettuce growing I see in the pages of the AP websites.  Many AP'ers are in hot climates in Australia.  Can you grow lettuce on a raft system when the outside temps are 90+ degrees?  What are the temperature ranges for growing lettuce in an AP system?

[TCLynx]

Yep, agreed that you would probably be better off putting energy into growing more season appropriate stuff in summer. I have some lettuce growing indoors this time of year but the only greens still surviving outside are the rare swiss chard and then stuff that most people don't think of as greens so much. Like the young leaves and vine tips of southern peas and other related bean varieties. There is also stuff like malabar spinach and new zeeland spinach if you like them. The young leaves and vine tips of sweet potatoes are also edible. Truth is, my system in the central Florida heat tends to give over to things like bananas, basil, oregano, sweet potatoes, Okra, yardlong beans, papaya, stevia, and heat loving flowers for the months of July and august. Even the tomatoes give up in the heat.

[Two Jay]

TCL, Are you growing your Stevia in an AP system or in some other fashion? What variety is it? Also, I think I seen another post somewhere about you growing Purslane... same questions as above. Thanks

TCLynx said:

Yep, agreed that you would probably be better off putting energy into growing more season appropriate stuff in summer. I have some lettuce growing indoors this time of year but the only greens still surviving outside are the rare swiss chard and then stuff that most people don't think of as greens so much. Like the young leaves and vine tips of southern peas and other related bean varieties. There is also stuff like malabar spinach and new zeeland spinach if you like them. The young leaves and vine tips of sweet potatoes are also edible. Truth is, my system in the central Florida heat tends to give over to things like bananas, basil, oregano, sweet potatoes, Okra, yardlong beans, papaya, stevia, and heat loving flowers for the months of July and august. Even the tomatoes give up in the heat.

[TCLynx]

Yep, I'm growing Stevia and I have grown Purslane in AP.
Stevia is not as productive or fast growing as say basil. I've grown it in Flood and drain gravel beds as well as just lately I've put some into one of Nate's towers. Will see how that does with some time. I'm thinking of ordering a large quantity of rooted cuttings to load up in Nate's towers but that will have to wait since I think it's too late for this summer.

The Purslane did well for me in NFT last summer/fall. It was planted on wicks in my "net pots" with gravel and did well though it was sometimes kinda ugly though it made a good hot weather alternative to doing all basil in the NFT. So far the purslane has not done well in the towers and definitely not good for constantly flooded beds. I don't know if I planted any in the flood and drain beds and I doubt it would do well in raft though I've never tried it in a raft.

James Kaiserlian said:

TCL, Are you growing your Stevia in an AP system or in some other fashion? What variety is it? Also, I think I seen another post somewhere about you growing Purslane... same questions as above. Thanks