Polk County Master Gardeners
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Cold Frames
Want fresh lettuce, spinach, and radishes from your garden all winter?
Want to start seeds early in the spring without dripping potting soil all over
the kitchen floor? How about protecting your favorite herbs or ornamentals from
the next ice storm? The answer to all of these, and a few more, might be a cold
frame.
A cold frame is simply a way to keep a small area a bit warmer than the rest
of your garden. It consists of a frame (wood, plastic tubing, or whatever you
happen to have available or can find cheaply) covered by something that will
keep the wind out and let the sun in (usually glass or heavy clear plastic). The
shape can by anything from a box to a Quonset hut. It should be set over your
garden bed, higher in the back than front (8 to 10% angle), facing south or
west. You will need a way to open it for ventilation on warm days. This can be
as easy as propping it up on one side if built of light plastic. The one we just
installed in my garden is made of scrap lumber with old window sashes letting in
the light. Sam (the building half of this gardening team) put hinges on the
windows so that we can open them when the weather is warm enough. Of course you
can also buy a cold frame, but it is fairly easy to create your own. As one of
our Master Gardeners is wont to say: “This ain’t buildin’ no piano.”
It’s a good idea to be sure the frame is firmly in contact with the ground to
keep the cold winds out. Another helpful item is a stack of old blankets, tarps,
or any sort of cloth to provide extra insulation when it gets really cold. And,
of course, you have to remember to open it on sunny mornings and close it before
nightfall.
If you get started soon, you just might be able to have the earliest tomatoes
in town next spring. Or keep that treasured Rosemary alive through the winter.
By Barbara M. Tobias
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