Wow, that was a lot of paper pots, and that is a lot of lettuce to plant. Do you do all that down on your hands and knees or do you have one of those tools you can just drop the lettuce into and pop in into the ground without bending? We have four days in a row of rain predicted, but they have really lowered the chances way down from what it was.

I'm too small of an operation to use machinery. It's just me, on my hands and knees. I really thought I would be able to plant all of it. I am slowing down a bit more each year. Hopefully my son will have time to pitch in a bit more this year. DH is 81 and he helps as much as he can. He does a lot of the easy jobs like marking the rows and rewinding the string, things that I don't have to stop and take the time to do. It really helps a lot.

We've go some rain predicted for the next ten days, if they can actually predict that far out. It looks like they lessened the percentage though, except Thursday, which is at 100%.

.Not sure this qualifies as machinery, but it might help. I am still pretty strong and healthy but stooping is very bad on my back and knees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

That would really be helpful! This is, hopefully, the last year we are doing market but if something changes and we do it again I may just have to invest in that tool! Wish I had known about it a few years ago. But then, knowing me, I would still go back and tuck each plant in tightly! Still, it would be nice to have the hole dug the proper depth and not have to stoop! I can handle being on my knees but our paths between the rows is only 18" and that doesn't give me much room to manipulate and I try not to twist at all so I keep changing, knees, butt, stooping over. Being over weight doesn't help either! You'd think with as much exercise as gardening gives me, and chasing a toddler three days a week I could take off some weight!