I know lettuce is a cool-weather crop, but it seems like the numerous 30- and 40-degree days we’ve had recently has slowed the growth of my greens. Photos taken Dec. 21 and Jan. 3 of the Black Seeded Simpson and Rouge d’Hiver don’t really seem to show a whole lot of growth in the two-week span. Today’s low-60s temps should help some, but with a forecast of seesawing temps for the next week or so, I’m not sure how much the lettuce is going to grow. I don’t have any plans to put the lettuce under grow lights, so I guess I’ll just have to wait it out.

Or now that I’m actually thinking about it, maybe I’ll see if I can cover the containers with plastic during the coldest days. I bet the plastic shells from my smaller portable greenhouses are long enough to fasten under the casters mounted to the plant stand. That way they wouldn’t blow away if it gets windy.

Yeah, that’s the ticket — can’t believe I didn’t think of that earlier! Guess I know what I’m going to be doing when it gets light tomorrow. And hopefully by this time next week, a photo of the lettuce will show some substantial growth. In the meantime, please check out the gallery below to see how my containers of lettuce have progressed so far.