I found some free windows and scrap wood and built my cold frame almost for free (with the help of a good friend who knows how to use a saw!). I brought (this fricken heavy thing) home and set it up in the perfect spot in the backyard.
I sowed a bunch of seeds in flats and filled up my awesome new cold frame and I waited. Every day I couldn't wait to get home to check for new sprouts and I waited... and waited... and waited... what the?
After several weeks, I knew something had to be wrong. Heck, some of my winter sown containers were sprouting by then, but I hadn't gotten a single sprout in my cold frame... hummm.
Finally I gave up on the seed flats and put some seedlings I had growing in the house out in the cold frame instead. Oh boy, this was going to be awesome!! I was back in business.
Once again, every day I rushed home to check on my seedlings... and every day I watched them slowly wither and die. What the?
So I headed to the internet to do some research (I guess I should have done my research BEFORE using the thing) and I discovered that (dah) I had fried my seeds and seedlings because I wasn't venting the cold frame correctly (ehem, at all). It was way too hot in there.
Well, that wasn't as cool as I thought it would be.
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| My cold frame, currently being used to store my rain barrels |
So I gave up on my cold frame and have been too nervous/ busy to try it out again.
Ok, now for the challenge... my husband was bugging me to get rid of it because it's too big to store (fair enough!), so I asked for a compromise. If I don't figure out how to use it this year, I promised that I would get rid of it this summer. GAME ON!
Umm... now what?
Well, I guess I should get busy doing research to figure out how to successfully use this thing and decide if it's something I want to keep up long term. If anyone has any tips for me, please, please share them!! I need help!
(Oh, and if you don't hear anymore about the cold frame, you'll know that I lost the challenge)
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| My cold frame at a slightly better angle |
If you have any questions about gardening, or ideas for a topic you'd like me to write a blog post about; please feel free to add a comment on any of my posts. You can also post something on my Facebook page.
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I love your honesty! Good luck figuring out the cold frame! Sounds like your winter sowing project is very productive. I'll have to try that next fall/winter.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteI just started winter sowing. Yesterday, I planted cherry tomatoes, beef tomatoes, basil, beetroot and daisies. I'm not quite sure if this is going to work. My husband laughs at me and says I can not plant anything when there is snow. Finding your website gives me hope. Do I have to take them in when snow comes or leave them out?
@PlantPostings - LOL, thanks! I need all the help I can get. I definitely would recommend trying winter sowing if you have never done it before. If nothing else, it's a fun experiment!
ReplyDelete@juli - Hi! I was very nervous the first year I tried it too (my husband and friends also laughed at me) and sowed just as many seeds indoor as I did winter sowing (just in case it didn't work). The biggest mistake I made my first year was putting them in too much sun. That will just bake the seeds and your germination rate will be much lower. You want to make sure you put them in a place where they only get morning and/or evening sun, not full sun all day. You can just leave them outside all the time until it's warm enough to plant them in the garden. If you haven't already, read my winter sowing post for more details. Winter Sowing and let me know if you have any more questions. Good luck!! (P.S. are you also entering my contest for free seeds with your post above? If so, what's your container count)
Amy
Amy, I have had great success with cold frames over the last couple of years. Wish I had tried them sooner. I am still planning to build even more. I figure I advanced the green salad season by three months. Please see my blog and look for cold frames: http://fromseedtoscrumptious.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHi George,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. I have checked out your site before and I would love your opinion on how you vent the cold frames and where you put them (as far as sun exposure). Those are my two big unknowns. I was going to use it to help harden off my seedlings, but maybe I'll use it in the garden over my lettuce instead... good idea.
Amy