The Great Cold Frame Experiment

[vfem]

So awesome that you came up with all this! I was picturing it with the plants put inside some raised container too.

Have you anything black to line the back/north wall with so it will absorb and hold on to more heat longer? Just a suggestions.

I am liking this!!!

 

[wifezilla]

Not yet vfem, but I have been thinking I need some mass along the back. I am in no rush to plant so I am just going to see how the temps do over the next couple of days before I add anything. In the mean time I am going to start painting some gallon jugs with plastic bond black paint

 

[boggybranch]

This is tooooo cool. I've had a cold frame idea bouncing around in my noggin, since I finished Babygirl's chickens "accommodations", using 2 old glass shower doors I have laying around. This just fuels the thought process. I've seen something like this, before, using square hay bails for the walls. Was always afraid that my seedlings would get "leggy"....at my latitude, though. It's amazing how much the temp differs, inside and out.

 

[wifezilla]

Day 2

9:00pm
Temp at ground level: 30 degrees
Air temp outside the cold frame: 31 degrees

Not looking good. Looks like the water jugs will be needed. Now where is that darn spray paint?

 

[wifezilla]

Day 3 - 7:00am

Temp at ground level: 28 degrees
Air temp outside the cold frame: 29 degrees

 

[thistlebloom]

I was just thinking, maybe if you threw a blanket or something over the glass at night you might be able to preserve more of the heat you build up during the day. :coolsun

 

[Jared77]

I wonder if your getting some leaking through the hay bales? I think that's where your losing heat from. What if you lined them with some plastic to help the leaks? The bales would give you the shape and the liner might make a difference. If you got a tarp you could put it in and use the lid to hold it in place then plant on top of that. I know you'd lose the benefits of your leaves but it might bring the temperature up.

 

[wifezilla]

Day 3 - 10:00 am
Temp at ground level: 42 degrees
Air temp outside the cold frame: 50 degrees


If it relies on a blanket on it, it kind of defeats the purpose since I will inevitably forget.

As for air leaking, with our wild temperature swings, having it more air tight will help with night time heat loss but increase the chance of the plants cooking to death during the day while I am at work.

I really think thermal mass is the answer. I found the spray paint and will start painting jugs after work.

 

[Jared77]

Keep us posted please!!!!

 

[digitS']

I went back and looked at the temperature accounting for my tunnel in March and April this year. These were daybreak temperatures, outdoors and in the tunnel:

3/7, 30 36
3/24, 33 36
4/3, 32 39
4/9, 27 39

The higher inside temperatures in April probably just have to do with increased sunshine the day before. Colorado Springs should have more of those sunny winter days, than up here.

Steve