| Author |
Garden Gate:  Cold Frames  |
|
|
KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 11 2007 : 7:19:55 PM
|
Has anyone used a cold frame to start seeds early? I live in zone 6 (northern Kentucky) and our elderly neighbors always seem to have their salad greens growing in early march.
I swiped about three old glass paned windows from someone's garbage up the street (my husband just LOVES me), and I was going to build a frame this weekend if it ever stops raining.
Any information on growing in a cold frame would be very helpful...I'm a total beginner with the garden thing for veges--not flowers. I don't want to overthink it, but I want to do it right.
Thanks!
Just think of all of the roads there are...all of the things I haven't seen....yet. |
|
|
Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2007 : 05:19:43 AM
|
| Hey, Jonni! I too have snatched old windows from the curb for a greenhouse or cold frame. Yep, my husband just shakes his head at me. I love the day before garbage day!! You could do a quicky job by buying haybales to use as the sides and use your house foundation as the back side. I bet you could get greens going soon like that, but you'd need a better sealed one to start more tender plants. If it is really sunny and mild for a day or so and you see condensation on the glass make sure you slide the panes a bit to let a little air inside, or you may end up with steamed spinach in a jiffy. I am sure somebody will post a link that has neat plans to download. What about checking out Organic Gardening on the web? I used to love that magazine. Happy growing! Nance |
 |
|
|
Mag
True Blue Farmgirl
144 Posts
Margaret
Mount Vernon
OH
USA
144 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2007 : 3:21:36 PM
|
Hi Jonni,
I do the same thing, with the same reaction from hubby :) I would watch too much heat as well but I have been wanting to try a cold frame so let us know how it works for you. I would also maybe try google search for cold frames and see what you can find.
Nance,
Do they have better trash on trash days in France?LOL I always think Europe has more sophisticated everything, including trash :)
mag |
|
|
|
Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2007 : 4:45:58 PM
|
We use the opaque pannels that look like sheets of tin. It's about half a sheet w/ hinges and a slanted triangular box
We have done carrots and salad greens. Earliest here has been the middle of February (central NC zone 7 I think)
Just fluff the dirt to get it ready for seed, keep the soil mosit and scatter your seeds. Water as needed keep in a sunny spot |
|
|
|
KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2007 : 08:03:56 AM
|
Anna--just so I understand, you make the body of the frame out of the metal sheets? And you can also use straw bales, Nance? I need to peak at my neighbor's for a good size guideline--I guess the width of the window sortof dictates that, though.
So exciting! Just wish this rain would stop so our yard wasn't so disgusting.
Just think of all of the roads there are...all of the things I haven't seen....yet. |
|
|
|
country lawyer
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
1022 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2007 : 08:18:01 AM
|
I think that hay bale idea sounds great. I might try that today. So much easier than actually getting a hammer and nails out!
"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."
James Taylor
www.ragstoroses.blogspot.com
|
|
|
|
Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2007 : 10:26:44 AM
|
| Jonni; I may be a city slicker but I thought straw and hay were interchangeable names for the same thing. either way, after you are finished with the cold frame you can spread the hay/straw as good mulch on your veggie patch! Mag, so far, Euro trash seems to be about the same as US trash; in our little neighborhood I haven't seen anything worth diving for yet, much to my husband's relief. I DID see a cool screen door that appeared to be discarded, but it was too hard to tell so I didn't hail hubby to hit the brakes! Free is best, but I can settle for a flea market if necessary! Nance |
|
|
|
Phils Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
1095 Posts
Ann
Parsonsburg
Maryland
USA
1095 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2007 : 11:19:31 AM
|
Nance, I also thought hay and straw were the same, until it was explained to me that hay has seed in it--will create lots of weeds. It's also a lot more expensive to buy than straw.
Ann... who also wants cold frames.
There is a Redeemer. |
|
|
|
Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2007 : 08:37:31 AM
|
| Ann, thanks for the clarification....so does that mean that straw is hay but only the stalk part without the seed heads? It decomposes beautifully to enrich and aerate the soil too. I have found that if I gently pull the seeds that sprout out of the mulch and just lay them on top, they wither and begin the compost process a little bit ahead of the rest. Nance |
|
|
|
country lawyer
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
1022 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2007 : 10:54:48 AM
|
Just an update. It's 72 degrees here, so I don't know if I'll actually need a cold frame this winter or not. But, I have the hay bales forming a square. The hay bales are from our fire pit area this fall. I'll add some dirt in the middle when my husband is able to shovel it for me. I'm planning on planting a mesclun spicy salad greens mix. I think this is a very easy, unique idea for a cold frame. Thanks, Nance! And, Ann, thanks for the clarification. I didn't know the difference either. That explains why my hay bales have greenery on the top!
"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."
James Taylor
www.ragstoroses.blogspot.com
|
|
|
|
Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Jan 16 2007 : 08:20:14 AM
|
Uhh, here's the difference between hay and straw.
Straw is the byproduct of grain production, like wheat or oats. When the plant has ripened and the seed heads are harvested, the straw is the stalky part of the plant that's left over. Wheat straw is a bit more absorbent than oat straw. Both are used frequently in my part of the country for animal bedding. It's about $2 a bale. It's very high in fiber, so it's not very digestible for horses; and cows have a bit of a hard time with it, too. Straw is a bright yellow until it gets wet; then it turns sort of brownish tan. It's bedding.
Hay is generally of two basic varieties: grass or legume. Grass hays in my part of the country include orchardgrass, timothy, and brome. Legume hays include alfalfa and clover, and sometimes lespedeza. Many good hays are mixtures of both grass and legumes. I feed my horses a nice mix that's about 60-70% orchardgrass and timothy, and the rest is alfalfa. This is a highly nutritious feed for livestock. Good hay is bright green and free of dusts or molds, as well as weeds.
You're not going to get seeds in your hay unless your hay has been cut too late in the stage of maturity of the plant. I would not accept hays like this, as the digestible fibers in it change into indigestible fibers (cellulose and hemicellulose change to lignin). Cows may be able to digest that, but not horses. And it's not that great for cows, either. They can maintain on it, but they don't gain well.
Plus, you also have to know which cutting you have. Most folks in my area are able to harvest hay from a given field three or four times a growing season, depending on the weather and rainfall. The first cutting, as the plant grows rapidly, is pretty stemmy and tough. The second and third cuttings are finer, with a higher ratio of nutritious leaves to tender small stems. This is what I always specify for my horses. I paid $4 a bale for good second and third cutting horse hay last year.
Now, all that said, some folks in other parts of the country put up oat hay. That means the plant is cut, dried, and baled before it matures fully. It's a grass; it's not as tender as these others discussed, but it's useable. I probably wouldn't feed it because it'd be too stemmy for my taste, but who knows? If that's all I could get, I might have to change my tune.
I wouldn't waste good hay on a cold frame if I could help it; a bale can feed two horses for a day. But if I found a stemmy bale or two, I'd use it. I don't bed with straw (I use shavings) so it'd be a hassle to come up with some.
I used to use a hot bed and a cold frame. I'd start my seeds under grow lights in the house, then transfer them to the hot bed. In time, I'd put them in the cold frame to begin hardening them off before setting them out. It worked well, especially for the heat loving plants like tomatoes and peppers.
I hope this helps, if you lasted this long.... |
|
|
|
Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Jan 16 2007 : 10:49:19 AM
|
| Great day in the morning! What a dissertation on straw versus hay!!! Read the whole thing! Thanks, and who better than a 'horseyrider' to set us straight. Nance |
|
|
|
Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2007 : 04:14:41 AM
|
No, the frame is made out of plywood and 2x4's so it's really easy to pick up one side and relocate The shape is an elongated triangle. Opaque fiberglass sheeting covers the top. Actually, it's only half a sheet. The frame measures 3'x5'
If you don't want to fool w/ the hammer and nails, the straw bale method sounds good too |
|
|
|
Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2007 : 07:40:40 AM
|
Nance, I was *somewhat* restrained. I used to teach in a small college ag department, and equine nutrition was one of the classes I taught. I could talk for hours on forages! I know, I know; I need to get a life. |
|
|
|
Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2007 : 09:46:24 AM
|
| Mary Ann, you don't need to GET a life, you already have a great one!! I bet you were a very good teacher, and how fun is that? To teach and get paid for talking and researching about something you love????? Nance |
|
|
|
country lawyer
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
1022 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2007 : 04:02:05 AM
|
I got my hay bale cold frame done. What a breeze. Thanks for the idea, Nance in France!! Visit my blog for photo and details.
"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."
James Taylor
www.ragstoroses.blogspot.com
|
|
|
|
Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2007 : 10:16:27 AM
|
| Great job Rebekah! I can taste that salad already.... Nance |
|
|
|
Destiny~
True Blue Farmgirl
195 Posts
Dar
west
TX
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2007 : 05:50:08 AM
|
I've always thought of it as hay is what you fed the horses, straw is what you put down on the floors of their stalls to collect the you-know-what after they ate the hay.
Plus, isn't each piece of straw wider than hay which is why it's good to use as groundcover too?
"Let us, together, sow seeds for a better harvest-a harvest for hope."
Jane Goodall, Harvest for Hope |
|
|
| |
Garden Gate: Cold Frames |
|
Cold Frames
