I found a double-paned window at a thrift store and I build
the "cold frame" around its dimensions. I use sandstone garden edging leftover
from the previous owner. You can use bricks or pavers for this, too. You want something that
will absorb daytime heat and release it during the cold night, so boards or anything made of wood is
less effective for my rudimentary design. However, there are numerous ways to
build an actual cold frame, so if you have more get-up-and-go than me, check
out the web.
The edges don’t fit smoothly together so there are drafts.
This works during the warmer fall days because I don’t always get out to get
the window off the stones and the openings let the heat out. I do have to
remember to water more often when it heats up in my little garden.
I plant kale and spinach, both of which have produced leaves
for me over most of the winter – not enough for a family of 8 but certainly
enough to add to a salad. And the leaves you are removing aren’t much bigger
than 4-8". Ok, this is more of an adventure than actual food production but
harvesting even a few greens in January is reassuring.
When the weather gets colder, I will move these stones
together, sacrificing a few plants which get squished. There will
still be drafts, so in the depth of winter, I sometimes cover the
whole thing with a beach towel at night. Last winter, the towel and garden were
covered with deep snow for more than a week, so no sun made it through. Neither
type of plant showed any signs of stress when they finally got some sun again.
Comes spring, I dismantle it in about 20 seconds.
No comments:
Post a Comment