I am experimenting with a purchased cold frame to extend our growing season
I anchored the cold frame in early October in one of our garden beds. I prepared the soil by adding compost, but kept the kale and some small carrots that were already there. As I anchored the base, I also ensured that it was level. That way, the top pieces would fit better. After seeding with a variety of lettuce and radish, I build up a bit of soil on both the inside and outside of the cold frame walls. Over the course of the next few weeks, I added leaves and grass cuttings to insulate inside and out, but I added some rigid Styrofoam pieces outside as well.
As the weather grew colder, I covered the unit with a transparent clear plastic sheet. Last week, I topped that with some landscape cloth, to see if I could use that to heat the inside garden during the day. So far, so good
We are enjoying a fresh salad every day. The only drawback is that the leaves are very fragile once they are plucked, and have to be prepared right away. Oh, but the taste is wonderful!
We will most likely harvest everything before the end of the month. We will use this again in early spring.
shared by member Susan Nadon
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