Kindred spirits in the garden

I first met videographer Dave Foreman on the way to a story in Vintondale, Pa for WQED's now defunct OnQ program. It was quite a cruise and we got to talking finding out we were kindred spirits. He's a fellow hot pepper lover and gardener, but this guy is serious. He's actually eaten a whole habanero pepper, I would never try such a thing. Dave did tell me he felt like he was having a heart attack.

I think it was last year that I gave him some seeds for Bhut Jolokia, it used to be the hottest pepper in the world, and of course he didn't flinch with this one and didn't seem too impressed.

But I didn't know he shared my passion for extending the season until he sent me the picture on the right. I like the touch of the daily newspaper to show when the picture was taken. And no this lettuce is not being held hostage.

Dave made a frame of 2X10's and planted some lettuce seed last fall and then covered the frame with double pane glass when things got cold, he harvested until Christmas. I'll let him take it from there, "I cut it down to the ground because temps were going into the single digits and I figured the lettuce would die.  Cold temps came, snow covered the bed, the snow melted on Groundhog day and WOW I saw lettuce!

You can't see in the photo but there are hundreds of little seedlings just starting to peek through so I'm counting on a nice St. Patrick's Day salad after I plant my peas."

He's still experimenting like me with how long the lettuce can survive in the winter. He saw the lettuce when temperatures dropped to nine degrees but thinks zero is the killer. He plans to keep better records in years to come. "I just place the window on top of the frame and don't do much else, if it's an above freezing rainy day I'll take the window off and if the rain/temp doesn't line up I'll water it myself (maybe once during the winter)."

Like many of us his family inspired him to garden. "My father is a gardener and gave me the bug and he is amazed with my winter lettuce.  He kicks my butt with the first zukes, cukes, tomatoes...etc...but I got the lettuce!"

When asked why he tries to stretch his garden year into winter, he say, "Why try to extend the season?  Why not?"