Off Topic - Garden Tips -- Lettuce & Tomatoes

For fellow gardeners, I have an interesting tip I'd never heard before. I've been planting lettuce seeds every few weeks since the end of March and am harvesting plenty of it. But the last time I put seeds in the ground, about 3 weeks ago, they didn't germinate. I assume it was because of the heat. I asked at the local garden center and the expert there told me to try 'an old farmer's trick'. Plant the seeds, water in, then put a long 2x4 board on the row, right on the dirt. Peek under it every day until you see sprouts, then take it off. The board will hold the moisture in the soil, and will protect the new germinations from the heat of the day. I told him I plant in blocks, not rows, so he said to use peat moss. I just planted a couple new blocks, covered them with an inch of peat moss and watered it well. We'll see if it works.  

Another problem that I didn't know about is with tomato plants. I have tomato plants in pots on my deck. I water them daily. One day, I noticed some of the leaves were turning a speckled blotchy tan, and dying. I suspected some kind of virus or blight. So I cut off a few leaves and asked what it was..... sunburn! It turns out that tomato plants in pots dry out very quickly and when that happens, the leaves become dehydrated and can burn from the hot sun. I was told to add peat moss to the top of the pot and on hot days, water twice a day. The tomato plants in my main garden don't have this problem, just the ones in pots on the south-facing deck.