Trish, I made really simple covers out of PVC conduit and plastic sheeting, and kept lettuce alive all winter here (same zone, very different climate). Also had chard, spinach, pac choi, and a few other things in there. No frost damage except in a few places where the leaves were touching the plastic.
I can get about an extra month of lettuce in the early summer by moving the plants into full shade. I'm not sure if that would help in Texas, though, since your summers are much hotter than mine.
(Not to derail the thread, but I just noticed "soon to be 6"! Congrats!)
Carol, thanks so much for the tutorial. This looks like a great idea to try, a nice introduction to hydroponics for those of us who are intimidated by pumps and fancy equipment. Sorry if I missed this, but what is inside the net pot? Soil, or some kind of special media? And do you actually use the peat pots without them disintegrating?
