Nice. Turns out I wasn't crazy to plant those seeds on February 28th. They came up less than two weeks later.
Showing posts with label cold frame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cold frame. Show all posts
Friday, March 13, 2015
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Status report (May 9th)
Finally the rains came! A week and a half of no rain and then 2 inches over two days. It's a great time to pull deep weeds even if its not a good time to turn the soil. Unfortunately, it's also a great time for weed seed germination. (See asparagus photo below.)
Roots: Beets are up with their first true leaves, but the germination wasn't uniform, I wasn't the best about watering them. Planted on April 13, they are now nearly one month in the ground. There are about 30 there, a satisfying amount for a first planting, but I better put the replanting on the to-do list.
Peas and beans: sugar snaps are doing better than shell peas, but both are growing. Sugar snaps have even begun climbing. Both were planted on April 8th.
Fava beans are so beautiful! It's my first time growing them. They need an early start (mine were presoaked and went in the ground April 10th), and they seem to be making the most of it. Nearly 100% germination on those.
A Fedco mix of plants that attract beneficial insects has been planted in two spots, totaling about 16 square feet, and it'll go in yet another spot when the soil drains enough to work it. Beans, brussels, okra, and more greens all have spots reserved for them.
And that's where we stand on May 9th.
Herbs: chives led the way, oregano, marjoram, thyme, and tarragon are all ready for picking. Sage and rosemary are greening up. My parsley roots rot and have bugs every spring, so despite the classification of 'biennial', I need to plant that new. Basil is started but its a long time out.
Perennials: sorrel is overproducing, asparagus is giving us a small handful each day, enough for salad adornments, horseradish is bolting, and rhubarb is too. The rhubarb leaves have short stalks - I'm told to top dress with cow manure. Dill has come up in carpets under both. I was hoping for that!
Roots: Beets are up with their first true leaves, but the germination wasn't uniform, I wasn't the best about watering them. Planted on April 13, they are now nearly one month in the ground. There are about 30 there, a satisfying amount for a first planting, but I better put the replanting on the to-do list.
Stuttgarter yellow onion sets are in and a couple inches high, having been planted on April 23rd, 2 1/2 weeks ago. There are about 120 of those.
Parsnips are in, but not up, same for first and second planting of carrots - red, purple, and orange! (Parsnips were planted April 13th (one month ago), 1st planting of carrots went in April 25th, 2nd went in May 6th.) Daikon radish is in (April 25th) and up, barely, and my leek starts are in (April 24th) and growing gangbusters! There are about 30 of them.
Garlic is always the stunning crop of spring. About 100 heads.
Peas and beans: sugar snaps are doing better than shell peas, but both are growing. Sugar snaps have even begun climbing. Both were planted on April 8th.
Fava beans are so beautiful! It's my first time growing them. They need an early start (mine were presoaked and went in the ground April 10th), and they seem to be making the most of it. Nearly 100% germination on those.
A Fedco mix of plants that attract beneficial insects has been planted in two spots, totaling about 16 square feet, and it'll go in yet another spot when the soil drains enough to work it. Beans, brussels, okra, and more greens all have spots reserved for them.
Last, but definitely not least, the cold frame gives us salad greens every night, lettuce, arugula, spinach, Swiss chard, and soon cilantro! The arugula is already starting to bolt however...
And that's where we stand on May 9th.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Cold frame lettuce
The first trip to the greenhouse provided some useful context. Their lettuce starts (in flats) were about the same size as mine, maybe a little smaller. BUT, the lettuce in their cold frames, planted last fall and over wintered were fully harvestable, and their spinach, planted last September and over wintered was 10 inches tall!
The cold frame arugula is also interesting... The direct seeded row was started 5 days after the transplanted row and is twice as big. It gets a little more light, it has probably been kept a little wetter since I used those cardboard planting pots and left the plants in them, and there are differences in soil.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Seedlings
The cold frame continues to under impress. Everything lives, nothing thrives.
Spinach, lettuce, and chard from a March 29th planting emerged today.
The arugula is just starting to sprout true leaves. Those started on March 10th indoors, and March 15th outdoors seem to be neck and neck. The lettuce started indoors and transplanted is growing well, but they really should be further along by now.
The green onions in the small cold frame, transplanted at about 2 inches high, seem to have accepted the abuse. The lettuce transplants on the other hand, disappeared like their predecessors... Slugs?
Peas are soaking right now and are going out tomorrow.
Last week was winter, flurries still in the air. This week we have forecast highs in the 70's. When are we supposed to grow peas?
Friday, March 29, 2013
Getting a jump on the season: Carrots
Well, I've been doing some complaining about not starting early enough, and here I find out I started my carrots too early - let me back up.
A friend of mine introduced me to a local gardening power team, Gene Bazan and Tania Slawecki. I've visited their impressive production system twice now, and brought home lots and lots of ideas, some more feasible than others given the attention I can afford to dedicate to the garden realm. You can read more about their system at neo-terra.org.
One of these ideas was to start carrots in flats rather than direct seeding them. Typically, this is ill-advised because the carrot root is so fragile and transplanting is so tedious. But Gene succeeds, and there are certain advantages. Carrot seeds take quite a long time to germinate (2-3 weeks) and the soil must be maintained evenly moist during this period. I accomplished this one year (or perhaps the weather cooperated) but other seasons, especially summer planting for fall harvests, I have not managed to get out there and water regularly enough to assure carrot germination.
This year, I thought I'd give Gene's method a try - and I was thrilled with the results. A high rate of germination in just 4 days! I moved the flat (a reused plastic organic spinach pack from the grocery store) out to the cold frame for better light.
But having sprouted 3 weeks ago, none of the seedlings have true leaves. All of the cotyledons are a beautiful healthy shade of green, they just don't seem to be growing.
So I started investigating light and temperature requirements (great article from Plant Pro here) and asked Gene for more guidance. Here's what I learned:
1. Carrots develop the root length in as little as 3 weeks.
2. Carrots develop the root length within the first 50 days.
3. "An increase in early storage root length after emergence is favoured considerably by constant temperatures of 20 or 24°C." (20c=68F)
4. "Preferred growing conditions for most carrot cultivars are warm day and cool night temperatures and this usually provides the best combination of root length and diameter."
5. Gene starts his seeds around March 30th to transplant May 4th (State College, PA dates)
6. When transplanting, Gene's seedlings are about 2" tall and have ~4 true leaves.
7. To transplant Gene inserts a narrow trowel, pulls the prepared, finely textured soil back, and drops the 2-3" long taproot straight down into the void behind the trowel before pulling it out and settling the soil.
8. Gene's preferred are Danvers and Danvers half-long for heavy clay soils.
But I'm still not quite to the bottom of why my carrots aren't sprouting true leaves. Clearly, I started them too early, about a month earlier than Gene. But the Plant Pro article seems to say they like warm days and cool nights, which is about what they are getting in the cold frame - although nights may be too cold? We have been having the steadiest string of gray gray days. Light definitely could be an issue.
Verdict? Since they haven't actually died, I'm going to allow the experiment to play out. I'll keep them in their flats, in the cold frame until they sprout leaves, or until the seeds I'll start this weekend (on Gene's schedule) beat them in the race. There's a definite chance they won't win this competition, but I've always had a hard time pulling a living plant - except dock, but that's another story.
A friend of mine introduced me to a local gardening power team, Gene Bazan and Tania Slawecki. I've visited their impressive production system twice now, and brought home lots and lots of ideas, some more feasible than others given the attention I can afford to dedicate to the garden realm. You can read more about their system at neo-terra.org.
One of these ideas was to start carrots in flats rather than direct seeding them. Typically, this is ill-advised because the carrot root is so fragile and transplanting is so tedious. But Gene succeeds, and there are certain advantages. Carrot seeds take quite a long time to germinate (2-3 weeks) and the soil must be maintained evenly moist during this period. I accomplished this one year (or perhaps the weather cooperated) but other seasons, especially summer planting for fall harvests, I have not managed to get out there and water regularly enough to assure carrot germination.
This year, I thought I'd give Gene's method a try - and I was thrilled with the results. A high rate of germination in just 4 days! I moved the flat (a reused plastic organic spinach pack from the grocery store) out to the cold frame for better light.
But having sprouted 3 weeks ago, none of the seedlings have true leaves. All of the cotyledons are a beautiful healthy shade of green, they just don't seem to be growing.
So I started investigating light and temperature requirements (great article from Plant Pro here) and asked Gene for more guidance. Here's what I learned:
1. Carrots develop the root length in as little as 3 weeks.
2. Carrots develop the root length within the first 50 days.
3. "An increase in early storage root length after emergence is favoured considerably by constant temperatures of 20 or 24°C." (20c=68F)
4. "Preferred growing conditions for most carrot cultivars are warm day and cool night temperatures and this usually provides the best combination of root length and diameter."
5. Gene starts his seeds around March 30th to transplant May 4th (State College, PA dates)
6. When transplanting, Gene's seedlings are about 2" tall and have ~4 true leaves.
7. To transplant Gene inserts a narrow trowel, pulls the prepared, finely textured soil back, and drops the 2-3" long taproot straight down into the void behind the trowel before pulling it out and settling the soil.
8. Gene's preferred are Danvers and Danvers half-long for heavy clay soils.
But I'm still not quite to the bottom of why my carrots aren't sprouting true leaves. Clearly, I started them too early, about a month earlier than Gene. But the Plant Pro article seems to say they like warm days and cool nights, which is about what they are getting in the cold frame - although nights may be too cold? We have been having the steadiest string of gray gray days. Light definitely could be an issue.
Verdict? Since they haven't actually died, I'm going to allow the experiment to play out. I'll keep them in their flats, in the cold frame until they sprout leaves, or until the seeds I'll start this weekend (on Gene's schedule) beat them in the race. There's a definite chance they won't win this competition, but I've always had a hard time pulling a living plant - except dock, but that's another story.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Lessons on light
Well, I ran an experiment (with no controls and only out of desperation.)
I was headed out of town for a few days, and I knew the indoor seedlings were going to be starved for light with grey days in the forecast and no grow lights. I also knew that my cold frames may be no match for the forecast temperatures, 20-something nights and 30-something days. So I split a batch. Six of Fedco's winter mix lettuce plants went out in the cold frame and the other 6 stayed in the house in the sunniest window I have.
After 5 days, here's how they look in the house:
Cold frame looks to have less growth overall. No leggy stems, but no second leaves either. And the color of the leaves is changing - that could be fine, this one might be a red-leaf lettuce, or it might mean it got too cold or something.
But either way, neither croaked. I put the leggy ones in the ground in the larger cold frame today... Not sure they will recover, but I have some certainty they won't freeze. Last night the large cold frame reported a low of 23 degrees!!! But I'm not sure that was what the plants experienced. All the carrots, green onions, kale, and collard were upright and waiting for the sun this morning.
I've moved the thermometer to lay on the soil instead of hanging on the wooden wall of the cold frame, that should give me a better idea what the plants are "feeling".
I was headed out of town for a few days, and I knew the indoor seedlings were going to be starved for light with grey days in the forecast and no grow lights. I also knew that my cold frames may be no match for the forecast temperatures, 20-something nights and 30-something days. So I split a batch. Six of Fedco's winter mix lettuce plants went out in the cold frame and the other 6 stayed in the house in the sunniest window I have.
After 5 days, here's how they look in the house:
And here's how they look in the cold frame:
Cold frame looks to have less growth overall. No leggy stems, but no second leaves either. And the color of the leaves is changing - that could be fine, this one might be a red-leaf lettuce, or it might mean it got too cold or something.
But either way, neither croaked. I put the leggy ones in the ground in the larger cold frame today... Not sure they will recover, but I have some certainty they won't freeze. Last night the large cold frame reported a low of 23 degrees!!! But I'm not sure that was what the plants experienced. All the carrots, green onions, kale, and collard were upright and waiting for the sun this morning.
I've moved the thermometer to lay on the soil instead of hanging on the wooden wall of the cold frame, that should give me a better idea what the plants are "feeling".
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Cold Frame # 2
Unbelievably good timing. The drywaller got behind schedule in the workshop and we weren't ready for painting this past weekend, so the cold frame got moved up as the weekend project. (Plus the drywaller said he'd prime the whole thing for $100 and that will save a weekend's worth of work next weekend, so we said, uh, yeah!)
And... Voila!
And... Voila!
The base box (below) is constructed of 2x12 boards salvaged from the property, lined with 2" foam board (left over from insulating the addition). (You can see the insulation installed along one of the base board walls.) That base box was placed in a trench so that about 3" is above ground on the uphill side.
On top of that is another identical box made of new 2x12 boards. Then a 2x12 riser (back) leans on two 2x12 triangles (end walls) to support two fabulous Habitat for Humanity Restore double-pane windows, $5 each. The windows are 42" across and 51" tall for a total cold frame size of approximate 4' by 7' (28 square feet.) (The white framed one, from the same source for the same price, is headed to a friends' house for her cold frame.)
We used gorilla glue to mount a foam window insulating gasket around the box. It's not a perfect seal yet, so work remains there.
I bought what appears to be a nice value - a wireless "Weather Thermometer" made by AcuRite ($15 at Lowes). The outdoor sensor is hung on the inside of the south wall of the cold frame (so it will not be in direct sunlight) and the base unit that reports the temperature of that sensor is either inside where I can keep an eye on it, or as pictured below, outside where it monitors the true outdoor temperature. So on this first day with a closed top, and soil that is still quite cold, the outdoor temperature is 60 and the box temperature is 74 (with a high of 75 and a low of 51 - when I installed the thermometer in the morning.) (Made me think about installing an automatic vent opener like this.)
The soil at the site was better than average for our yard, but a little stony, and with some pretty serious subsoil clay (red mottles and everything.) I decided to keep it, but added a significant amount of peat moss to help keep a loose structure, and then a full dose (4.5 cups for this 28 square foot bed) of Organic Garden-tone Herb&Vegetable Food (3-4-4). If I can get the timing right mid summer, or next winter, I will try to add a good load of compost.
I already posted about my seed starting enthusiasm. Now I'm using the cold frame to help those seeds get good sunlight since I still haven't invested in grow lights. So far, even with gray days, it seems to have been enough help to prevent them from getting embarrassingly leggy. The seeds are all still in their starting trays. I'm not sure the soil in the cold frame is warm enough for germination, and until it warms up I'm not sure I can count on the box staying above freezing, so I am a little nervous about direct seeding in there, although given the cost of seed, it's a relatively low risk venture.)
Overall, and as always, I wish we had gotten an earlier start. But with these cold frames deployed, it will certainly be possible to plant 2-3 inch diameter lettuce starts by the middle of February, and to be harvesting lettuce by now. This permanent installation is going to be full of food through the shoulder seasons and potentially the winter for years to come.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Cold Frame Update
This morning the fancy thermometer said the inside temperature was 33F and the outside temperature was 23F. Perfect! I doubt the ground inside is completely thawed, so that inside temperature should keep coming up. I'm delighted.
Unfortunately, with it being 23F outside, I wasn't going to spend any time out there.
Instead, my friend Emma and I finalized our Fedco order and sent it in. More on that later.
Unfortunately, with it being 23F outside, I wasn't going to spend any time out there.
Instead, my friend Emma and I finalized our Fedco order and sent it in. More on that later.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Cold frame #1
(thanks Matt and Emma), Ace weather stripping ($7), digital
indoor/outdoor thermometer for the geek in me (had in a box in the
basement, probably $20).
Finished size is 48"x52".
The ground was frozen hard when I put it out this morning and the high
today was about 43 degrees. Can't wait for some sun.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Cold Frames
We are planning to deploy a cold frame this spring. Questions abound...
Use of Cold Frame:
Am I going to use the cold frame in the spring to start seeds in flats? (maybe)
Am I going to use the cold frame to get a jump on spring crops like lettuce? (yes)
Am I going to use the cold frame to protect a fall crop and extend the harvest into December? (yes)
Location of Cold Frame:
Site should get a lot of light when the sun angle is low, it should be in a place we don't mind seeing a box in the middle of the lawn, the soil needs to be prepared.
Design of Cold Frame:
Lid has to be strong glass, like a shower door, or polycarbonate or some other plastic so my son doesn't lose a limb if he climbs on top and falls through.
Box needs to be big enough to contain a decent greens garden in the fall. (Like maybe 4x8?)
Box needs to be tall enough to contain collards and chard at full height in the fall. (Ideally 2 ft)
Box needs to be accessible for maintenance.
Lid needs to be light enough to lift, but heavy enough not to blow off (or it needs to be secured.)
Lid must be able to be propped for venting.
Soil under cold frame might be bordered by foam board - like a foundation.
Lid options abound at the local Habitat for Humanity Restore. Wooden sash windows for $5, a bank of them would be nice. A full length glass door (~3ftx6ft) for $20. A nice wooden sash window 3.5' x 4.5' for $5. A couple 3 panel sashed windows with sliders...
Managing the Cold Frame:
Indoor/Outdoor thermometer with min/max thermometer to gauge the effectiveness of the cold frame to determine when things can be set out in the spring and when we have to harvest everything in the fall.
Heat sources can be christmas lights or 100 W bulb.
Box can be lined with foam board.
Blankets or other insulation can be laid out on especially cold nights.
Dark colored milk or soap bottles can be used to absorb heat in the daytime and radiate it at nighttime.
Crops for the Cold Frame:
Spring: lettuce. lettuce. chard. lettuce. carrots. spinach. green onions. arugula.
Fall: lettuce. chard. collard. leeks. arugula. escarole. green onions. cabbage.
References:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2007-12-01/Garden-with-Cold-Frames.aspx
http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2504/cold-frame-gardening/page/all
Use of Cold Frame:
Am I going to use the cold frame in the spring to start seeds in flats? (maybe)
Am I going to use the cold frame to get a jump on spring crops like lettuce? (yes)
Am I going to use the cold frame to protect a fall crop and extend the harvest into December? (yes)
Location of Cold Frame:
Site should get a lot of light when the sun angle is low, it should be in a place we don't mind seeing a box in the middle of the lawn, the soil needs to be prepared.
Design of Cold Frame:
Lid has to be strong glass, like a shower door, or polycarbonate or some other plastic so my son doesn't lose a limb if he climbs on top and falls through.
Box needs to be big enough to contain a decent greens garden in the fall. (Like maybe 4x8?)
Box needs to be tall enough to contain collards and chard at full height in the fall. (Ideally 2 ft)
Box needs to be accessible for maintenance.
Lid needs to be light enough to lift, but heavy enough not to blow off (or it needs to be secured.)
Lid must be able to be propped for venting.
Soil under cold frame might be bordered by foam board - like a foundation.
Lid options abound at the local Habitat for Humanity Restore. Wooden sash windows for $5, a bank of them would be nice. A full length glass door (~3ftx6ft) for $20. A nice wooden sash window 3.5' x 4.5' for $5. A couple 3 panel sashed windows with sliders...
Managing the Cold Frame:
Indoor/Outdoor thermometer with min/max thermometer to gauge the effectiveness of the cold frame to determine when things can be set out in the spring and when we have to harvest everything in the fall.
Heat sources can be christmas lights or 100 W bulb.
Box can be lined with foam board.
Blankets or other insulation can be laid out on especially cold nights.
Dark colored milk or soap bottles can be used to absorb heat in the daytime and radiate it at nighttime.
Crops for the Cold Frame:
Spring: lettuce. lettuce. chard. lettuce. carrots. spinach. green onions. arugula.
Fall: lettuce. chard. collard. leeks. arugula. escarole. green onions. cabbage.
References:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2007-12-01/Garden-with-Cold-Frames.aspx
http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2504/cold-frame-gardening/page/all
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