The Great Cold Frame Experiment

[wifezilla]

I have become fascinated with cold frames because of articles like this stating you can grow winter crops even in Maine.

Since there is always some scroungable "junk" laying around, I figured I could come up with something creative. A very useful junk item I have for this project is a big glass door (2 actually) recently given to us by a friend who replaced his. We got the cast offs.

Another item we always seem to have on hand is hay bales. Having ducks and quail requires access to good bedding. Fortunately the Big R 2 block aways just started carrying straw.

One more recyclable item we already use with our gardening endeavors is plastic jugs. From 2 liter soda bottle to milk jugs and vinegar containers, we alway seem to have those around and have seen first hand how they can help plants when it gets cold.

Also in good supply around here are leaves. Lots and lots of leaves. We have two 50 year old maples in our front yard with another one on the property line with our neighbor. We have raked about 5 times and we are still getting leaves blown over from up the street.

So now the question is how to use these materials to get some winter crops. Here is what I came up with so far.

*Hay bale side walls
*Glass door to serve as a roof propped up on the north side so it gets more sun exposure and will let snow and rain slide off.
*Clear water jugs in front to increase light as well as add thermal mass
*Utilize existing yard fence, a scrounged wire panel and lots of leaves to create a North wall

Right now the ground is frozen so I imagine once I get this all together it will take a while for the ground to thaw out and the thermal mass to start storing some heat. I will post photos and temperature readings once I get it all together.

 

[thistlebloom]

Like wifezilla I have been interested in coldframes too. My problem is in always thinking "I'll have to try that next year..." so of course I haven't done it yet:/. Iwill be very interested in your findings, then maybe I WILL get to it next year! I was thinking that for your north "wall" if the leaves were in black bags that would keep them dry and also act as a thermal mass? I have also heard of digging down a foot or so ( yeah, too late for that this year since your ground is already frozen) and putting in a layer of fresh horse manure that would give off heat as it decomposed. I will eagerly follow your results!!

 

[wifezilla]

Actually I am planning on those leaves decomposing over the winter. I have extra leaves at the ready to fill in the top area as it compacts. I will have plenty of leaves to work with, but if did have a finite supply the plastic bag idea is sounds good.

 

[wifezilla]

The whole shebang

The front. I ended up using squarish storage totes. There are some plastic water bottles in between the totes to fill in the space but also to allow quick access for watering.

I tossed a thermometer in there to keep an eye on the ground temp.

Leaves and loose straw make up the north wall.

View of the back of the front wall showing the extra light.

 

[thistlebloom]

Good work! Did you put the leaves on the "floor"? I like the front wall of light We can get very deep snow, I suppose it would just be a matter of keeping the area cleared, so light could get in the front wall.
The door looks like it might be heavy to lift so you could tend the plants. Will you prop it with something?

 

[thistlebloom]

Hey! I noticed you don't have snow yet! We are already up to our knees in snow and were down to -20 one night before Thanksgiving. I think it might be a long one...sigh..:/

 

[wifezilla]

The floor is just dirt but I will add mulch after planting...once the sprouts come up and I can mulch around them

Yes, that door is wicked heavy. Other than the initial planting then thinning, I shouldn't need to lift it until harvest. The 2 liter bottles and the storage cubes in front are really easy to slide out so that is what I will do most of the time I need to get in there.

Not shown are the two pavers under the door on the north end. That is what gives the glass enough slope to keep most of the snow off...I hope. Loose hay was stuffed in any gaps around the pavers.

Speaking of snow, we only got a little last week and it already melted. Don't worry, we will be getting more soon so you wont feel alone under all that white stuff.

 

[wifezilla]

Temperature check

Day 1.
5pm
Temp at ground level inside frame: 32 degrees
Air temp outside the cold frame: 42 degrees

Day 2.
9am
Temp at ground level inside frame: 30 degrees
Air temp outside the cold frame: 36 degrees

2pm
Temp at ground level: 42 degrees
Air temp outside the cold frame: 54 degrees

 

[thistlebloom]

Oh, ok, so you will be planting right in the ground. Hadn't thought of that. I guess I was thinking of containers inside, like for hardening off, or starting cold hardy plants early. Will you be planting soon? Or waiting 'till late winter/ early spring?

 

[wifezilla]

I plan on planting spinach and canton bok pak choy as soon as I get overnight temps of 40 or higher for a couple of nights in a row. If I can't get that within a week or so I will add some water jugs painted black against the back wall and try again.

If I can get this one going I will add a second one next to this cold frame for early starts and I will use the pots in that.