Posts Tagged: Growing veggies

Lawn-pocalypse! Surviving Drought

Ah, summer! The season of sunburns, pool parties, and… lawn droughts. If your once lush, green carpet now looks like a crunchy brown doormat, you're not alone. Let's dive into why your yard is staging a dramatic death scene and what you can do to...

Bermuda grass and weeds overtaking drought stressed turf grass.

A patch of former lawn, mostly dead, with a few green weeds and Bermudagrass

Growing Lettuce

Lettuce may not be a garden crop that causes you to perk up and say, “Tell me more.” You may be thinking, “Boring, I'll pass.” Or you may be the gardener who says, “I never could get that crop to grow.” Whatever your current thinking about lettuce, I hope to get you excited about this humble crop. There are not many garden vegetables with more diversity than lettuce, with more than 100 varieties in a wide range of colors, textures, and shapes.

If you need more encouragement, lettuce is a great hydrator, being 95% water. Lettuce is a powerhouse when it comes to vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A and C play a strong role in supporting the immune system, eyesight, and reduce inflammation. Iron, folic acid, calcium and potassium also add to the health benefits of lettuce.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) has been cultivated for thousands of years. The name is derived from the milky liquid produced when a leaf is broken from the stem.

Cool Season vs. Warm Season

We tend to think of lettuce as a light summer food, but lettuce is a cool weather crop. The optimum growing conditions for lettuce occur in fall and early spring. Many cool season lettuce varieties have good tolerance for cold temperatures and do well in low-light conditions.

Summer lettuce is in high demand as a crop, causing breeders to develop lettuce varieties for summer growing conditions with good success. These lettuce varieties are bred specifically to be heat tolerant and are slow to bolt and less bitter as they mature.

Seed Germination & Transplants

Lettuce seeds will germinate in 3–10 days depending on conditions.
Seeds can germinate in soils as low as 40°F but germination will be slow. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 55°–65°F. Above 70°F lettuce seeds germinate poorly, resulting in undersized, misshapen, elongated heads. At higher temperatures lettuce seeds may completely fail to germinate.

Fall lettuce seeds need to be in the ground in late September so they can reach 75% maturity going into the low-light days and cool nights of our winter months.

Spring lettuce seeds should be started indoors in early February. This will give you a jump on planting out in the spring after all danger of frost is past. Continue to sow seeds at 2-week intervals for continuous production.

Lettuce seeds are very small and should be planted with a very light covering of soil (¼ inch). Be generous when sowing your seeds, as some will not germinate, and others may be lost to birds. As they mature, the thinnings can be added to salad or used in sandwiches. The final spacing for lettuce plants should be 9–12 inches.

Many gardeners start with lettuce transplants from a local nursery, followed by seed sowing at 2-week intervals. This gets you off to a quick start and keeps you in a continuous supply of lettuce. To keep your lettuce crop growing through the summer switch to a variety listed as heat tolerant or slow-to-bolt.

Soil Preparation

Lettuce does best in loose, well-drained soil with a generous addition of compost added before planting. A source of organic nitrogen can also be added to the soil before planting. Alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, and fish or kelp meal are all good sources for slow, consistent nitrogen release.

Watering & Fertilizing

Keep the top 1–3 inches of the soil consistently moist as lettuce roots are shallow and dry out easily. You will want to provide adequate nitrogen for this fast-growing crop. Organic fertilizer is slower to become available. If you are using transplants, give them an application of liquid fertilizer 2 weeks after transplanting.

Frost Protection & Shade Cloth

Winter grown lettuce, though it can tolerate cool temperatures, will need protection from frost, while summer grown lettuce must have some shade protection.

Harvesting

Many lettuces can be harvested as baby greens. Some of the looseleaf varieties can be harvested in any stage of development by cutting the larger outside leaves and leaving the smaller inner leaves to mature. Mature lettuce does not get better, it gets bitter, so don't wait to harvest. To keep lettuce at peak freshness, harvest early in the morning. Wash the leaves thoroughly in cold water, then remove as much excess moisture as you can—a salad spinner is a great tool for this job. Store lettuce in the refrigerator in a plastic container with a lid with several damp paper towels added to create a humid environment. Garden fresh lettuce, stored in this manner, will last 7–14 days.

Disease & Pests

The most common diseases of lettuce are Botrytis rot, lettuce mosaic virus, and mildew. Keeping lettuce leaves dry is the best way to avoid disease from getting a foothold. Good air circulation and drip irrigation are two helpful practices.

Lettuce may fall prey to occasional pests including cutworms, leafminers, caterpillars, aphids, whitefly, snails/slugs and earwigs. Access the UC IPM website for information on controlling specific disease, insects, and vertebrate pests such as birds and deer.
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/lettuce/index.html

Lettuce Types

Butterhead / Boston / Bibb: These lettuce varieties form a round, loose head. They range from delicate and buttery to bright and crisp. Leaves tend to be large, making them an excellent choice for wraps and sandwiches. *Days to maturity 45–55. These varieties can be harvested anytime during development.

Looseleaf: This lettuce grows from a central stalk but does not form a head. These varieties are easy to grow and perform well in shaded areas or in low light. They are tolerant of warm temperatures and are slow to bolt which make them a good choice for multi-season growing. *Days to maturity 45-55. These varieties can be harvested anytime during development.

Crisphead / Summercrisp / Batavian: These lettuce varieties are known for their crisp snap and sweet flavor. They form a round, compact head. Often the outer leaves are darker with tender light leaves in the interior. Crisphead is a true cool weather variety which will stand up to very cool temperatures but beware, it is quick to bolt when temperatures rise and it's a favorite of snails and slugs. This would be a good choice for starting indoors in January for transplanting in February after all danger of frost is past. *You will need to plan ahead as some of these varieties take 70-100 days to reach full maturity.

Cos / Romaine: This lettuce is very upright, forming a column. They can be tightly closed, semi-closed, or open heads. This lettuce has a crisp, creamy white heart with the outer leaves remaining sturdy and dark. It is unforgiving of poor growing conditions and is not well adapted to warm weather. There are interesting varieties in the seed catalogs with some beautiful deep burgundy varieties in the offering. *You will need to plan ahead as some of these varieties take 75-85 days to reach full maturity.

I hope I have piqued your interest in experimenting with both winter and summer lettuce in your garden. The varieties and variations are truly exciting, many of which you will never see in your supermarket or even at farmers markets. Whether you select your varieties by color, shape, texture, or even their fun names, I hope you have decided to give lettuce a place in your garden. May it be a delightful and successful experience!

Help Desk of UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (BHD)

Climate-Change Resources

University of California UC ANR Green Blog (Climate Change and Other Topics) https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Green/index.cfm?tagname=climate%20change (full index)

Examples:

     -  Save Trees First: Tips to Keep Them Alive Under Drought https://ucanr.edu/b/~CdD 

     - Landscaping with Fire Exposure in Mind: https://ucanr.edu/b/~G4D

     - Cities in California Inland Areas Must Make Street Tree Changes to adapt to Future Climate  https://ucanr.edu/b/~oF7

Drought, Climate Change and California Water Management Ted Grantham, UC Cooperative Extension specialist (23 minutes) https://youtu.be/dlimj75Wn9Q

Climate Variability and Change: Trends and Impacts on CA Agriculture Tapan Pathak, UC Cooperative Extension specialist (24 minutes) https://youtu.be/bIHI0yqqQJc

California Institute for Water Resources (links to blogs, talks, podcasts, water experts, etc.) https://ciwr.ucanr.edu/California_Drought_Expertise/

UC ANR Wildfire Resources (publications, videos, etc.) https://ucanr.edu/News/For_the_media/Press_kits/Wildfire/ (main website)

      -UC ANR Fire Resources and Information https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/ (main website)

            -Preparing Home Landscaping https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Prepare/Landscaping/

UC ANR Free Publications https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/ (main website)

- Benefits of Plants to Humans and Urban Ecosystems: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8726.pdf

 -Keeping Plants Alive Under Drought and Water Restrictions (English version) https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8553.pdf

  (Spanish version) https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8628.pdf

-  Use of Graywater in Urban Landscapes https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8536.pdf

-  Sustainable Landscaping in California https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8504.pdf

 

Other (Non-UC) Climate Change Resources

Urban Forests and Climate Change. Urban forests play an important role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Active stewardship of a community's forestry assets can strengthen local resilience to climate change while creating more sustainable and desirable places to live. https://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/urban-forests

Examining the Viability of Planting Trees to Mitigate Climate Change (plausible at the forest level) https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2927/examining-the-viability-of-planting-trees-to-help-mitigate-climate-change/

Reports and other information resources coordinated under the auspices of the United Nations and produced through the collaboration of thousands of international scientists to provide a clear and up to date view of the current state of scientific knowledge relevant to climate change. United Nations Climate Action

Scientific reports, programs, action movements and events related to climate change. National Center for Atmospheric Research (National Science Foundation)

Find useful reports, program information and other documents resulting from federally funded research and development into the behavior of the atmosphere and related physical, biological and social systems. Search and find climate data from prehistory through to an hour ago in the world's largest climate data archive. (Formerly the "Climatic Data Center") National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA)

Think tank providing information, analysis, policy and solution development for addressing climate change and energy issues (formerly known as the: "Pew Center on Global Climate Change"). Center for Climate & Energy Solutions (C2ES)

Mapping Resilience: A Blueprint for Thriving in the Face of Climate Disaster. The Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) was launched in July 2010 and is managed by EcoAdapt, a non-profit with a singular mission: to create a robust future in the face of climate change by bringing together diverse players to reshape planning and management in response to rapid climate change. https://www.cakex.org/documents/mapping-resilience-blueprint-thriving-face-climate-disaster

Cal-Adapt provides a way to explore peer-reviewed data that portrays how climate change might affect California at the state and local level. We make this data available through downloads, visualizations, and the Cal-Adapt API for your research, outreach, and adaptation planning needs. Cal-Adapt is a collaboration between state agency funding programs, university and private sector researchers https://cal-adapt.org/

Find reports, maps, data and other resources produced through a confederation of the research arms of 13 Federal departments and agencies that carry out research and develop and maintain capabilities that support the Nation's response to global change. Global Change (U.S. Global Change Research Program)

The Pacific Institute is a global water think tank that combines science-based thought leadership with active outreach to influence local, national, and international efforts to develop sustainable water policies. https://pacinst.org/our-approach/

Making equity real in climate adaptation and community resilience policies and programs: a guidebook. https://greenlining.org/publications/2019/making-equity-real-in-climate-adaption-and-community-resilience-policies-and-programs-a-guidebook/ 

Quarterly CA Climate Updates and CA Drought Monitor Maps (updated each Thursday) https://www.drought.gov/documents/quarterly-climate-impacts-and-outlook-western-region-june-2022

 

 

 

 

Drought focus of Water Resources IMPACT magazine special issue

UC ANR experts address emotional toll of drought

Preparing the American West for prolonged drought is the focus of a double issue of Water Resources IMPACT magazine. The California Water Commission staff are guest editors for this special open-access edition of the magazine, which is published by the American Water Resources Association.   

Faith Kearns, academic coordinator of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources' California Institute for Water Resources, is among the authors delving into how drought impacts people and the environment and how we can better prepare for the inevitable. 

The first issue, published on Feb. 14, focuses on water scarcity issues confronting California and the ways these issues affect different sectors. 

In “Trauma, Care, and Solidarity: Addressing the Emotional Toll of Chronic Drought,” Kearns highlights the effects of drought on mental health. She points to the spike in suicide hotline calls when wells ran dry in Southeast Asian communities in California's Central Valley.

By listening to Southeast Asian farmers, Ruth Dahlquist-Willard and Michael Yang of UC Cooperative Extension were able to “lighten the load” for them by providing pragmatic support, Kearns writes.

“The scale of some of these highly emotional issues – drought, wildfires, climate change – can make them seem incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to deal with,” Kearns said. “At the same time, they are affecting everyone living in the western U.S. on a daily basis. I wanted to highlight and provide models based on work that people – whether they are researchers, clinical psychologists, or Cooperative Extension advisors – are doing right now to ease the way.”

The authors who contributed to the double issue are a diverse array of Tribal experts, academics, nongovernmental organization thought-leaders, water managers and water policy influencers, each of whom brings their own perspective on the topic of drought. Their expertise and perspectives in climate science, water policy and water management will help inform drought-related decision-making and support policies that better prepare the state to thrive during periods of prolonged water scarcity.

In addition to Kearns, the first issue includes articles contributed by:

• Samantha Stevenson, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Jay Lund, University of California, Davis
• Ron Goode, North Fork Mono Tribe
• Andy Fecko, Placer County Water Agency
• Jeff Mount, Public Policy Institute of California, and Ted Grantham, University of California, Berkeley/UC Cooperative Extension
• Nat Seavy and Karyn Stockdale, National Audubon Society
• Kjia Rivers, Community Water Center
• Cannon Michael, Bowles Farming
• Michelle Reimers, Turlock Irrigation District

The January/February edition of Water Resources IMPACT magazine can be accessed, free of charge, on the American Water Resources Association website at https://www.awra.org under “Publications.”

The second issue, to be published in March, will focus on drought response, considering the options for adaptation. This two-part series complements the Commission's work on strategies to protect communities and fish and wildlife in the event of a long-term drought.

 

 

Your water-efficient landscape doesn’t have to be barren

UC climate-ready landscape trials identify low-water yet attractive plants

Good news: roses can be a part of your water-efficient landscape. Lorence Oki, UC Cooperative Extension environmental horticulture specialist in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, identified rose cultivars that remain aesthetically pleasing with little water.  

Oki is the principal investigator of the Climate-Ready Landscape Plants project, which may be the largest irrigation trial in the western U.S., and the UC Plant Landscape Irrigation Trials (UCLPIT), the California component of that project. These projects evaluate landscape plants under varying irrigation levels to determine their optimal performance in regions requiring supplemental summer water.

“There are some assumptions that pretty plants use a lot of water, like roses,” Oki said. “Everyone thinks they need a lot of water, but we've found some that don't, and they still look great. A water-efficient landscape doesn't need to look like a Central Valley oak-grassland in the summer. It can look really attractive.”

In 2021, Oki's team at UC Davis identified Lomandra confertifolia ssp. pallida "Pom Pom" Shorty and Rosa "Sprogreatpink" Brick House® Pink as two of the best low-water plants in the trial. 

“The useful tip or information that is shared at the end of each trial is the selection and designation of plants as Blue Ribbon winners. These are the plants that looked good with an overall rating of 4 or higher throughout and were on the low (20%) water treatment,” said Natalie Levy, associate specialist for water resources, who manages the project at the UC ANR South Coast Research and Extension Center.

How plants earn a blue ribbon

Each trial year, the selection of new plants is based on research recommendations and donated submissions from the nursery industry. The landscape plants are trialed in full sun or 50% shade cover.

Irrigation treatments are based on the rate of evaporation and plant transpiration (evapotranspiration) measured through a local California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) weather station that provides a reference evapotranspiration (ETo) rate.

Three levels of irrigation are provided to the plants equal to 20%, 50%, and 80% of ETo. The volume of water applied is the same at each irrigation based on soil characteristics, but the interval between applications varies with weather and the treatment. Using this method, irrigations for the 20% treatment are less frequent than the 80% treatment.

“The 20% treatment during the 2022 trial was irrigated an average of once per month while the 80% treatment was irrigated weekly,” explained Levy.

During the deficit irrigation trial, monthly height and width measurements are taken to determine the plant growth index. Monthly qualitative aesthetic ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 are determined for foliage appearance, flowering abundance, pest tolerance, disease resistance, vigor and overall appearance.

A second round of flowering abundance and overall appearance measurements are also taken to capture more of the blooming period. For example, UCLPIT identified in the 2020 trial at South Coast REC that the "Apricot Drift" rose had a mean overall appearance score of 3.5 out of 5, deeming it “acceptable to very nice” and a low water use plant within the Water Use Classification of Landscape Species or WUCOLS guide.

Project expands options for landscape planting

While attending UC Davis as a master's student, Karrie Reid, retired UCCE environmental horticulture advisor for San Joaquin County, assisted Oki with landscape water conservation research. The landscape plant irrigation assessments were initiated at UC Davis in 2004 and the UCLPIT project, now in its 20^th year, originated from her master's thesis project from 2005 to 2007. A CDFA grant supported duplicating these fields at the South Coast REC in 2017.

“(WUCOLS) only has 3,500 plants in it. There are guesses that there are close to 10,000 cultivars in urban landscapes in California, if not more,” said Oki. “WUCOLS also didn't have numerical ratings. Instead, you'll see verbal ratings like ‘low water use' or ‘high water use.'”

The UCLPIT project has not only developed numerical recommendations for irrigation, but it has also added new landscape plants that are compliant with California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. In fact, UCLPIT's data is one of the few sources that can be used to supplement WUCOLS.

Geographic diversity of trial sites adds to knowledge base

In addition to UC Davis and South Coast REC in Irvine, the trials have expanded beyond California as the Climate-Ready Landscape Plants project and is in progress at Oregon State University, University of Washington, University of Arizona and Utah State University thanks to a USDA/CDFA grant awarded in 2020.

Lloyd Nackley, associate professor of nursery production and greenhouse management at Oregon State University, is the principal investigator of the trial in the Portland metro area, which is entering its third year.

“People know that there are drought tolerant plants, but there are many. We're trying to highlight lesser known or newer varieties. And even though the trial is three years, most gardeners would hope that their garden lasts longer than that,” said Nackley.

One of the observations that Nackley recalls is of the Hibiscus Purple Pillar plant. Unlike the trial at South Coast, the Purple Pillar did not perform well in Oregon in the spring.

“It wasn't until August that we saw the plant bloom and begin to look like what we saw from South Coast in April,” Nackley said.

Ursula Schuch, horticulture professor and principal investigator of the trial taking place at the University of Arizona, was also surprised at the range of performance among different plant types and the effects of irrigation, heat and temperature.

“This research will reassure green industry professionals that they can stretch their water budget to successfully cultivate more plants, watering them according to their needs instead of irrigating every plant according to the highest water-using plants,” said Schuch.

Although research is only conducted in the West, the hope is that there will be trials in other regions of U.S.

Doing so would yield comprehensive information about the plants and their performance in different climates. As extreme weather events persist in the U.S., disease pressure and risks do too. Trials throughout the country would provide location-specific data regarding disease susceptibility. 

To learn more about the UCLPIT research project, visit https://ucanr.edu/sites/UCLPIT/

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