When I asked my friend Josh, who built my chicken coop, to help me put up a test greenhouse from one of those superstores; he said, “it’s just going to blow away.” He had the raw materials to make a cold frame and suggested I go that route for now.
The Greenhouse I really want I found at Mother Earth Growing Spaces. It’s a geodesic dome with raised beds and irrigation, but that is a wish list item and I need to be sure I’m ready to commit to year-round gardening before I even begin to consider investing in one.
I spoke to some of my local farmer friends and they assured me that early October was too late to start my fall crops. It’s really fun when people tell you it’s not going to work and it does. Three weeks after Josh built my cold frame, with the black jars filled with dark fluid – still don’t know exactly that the magic juice in the jar is, but retains heat remarkably well – I have peppers and Nasturtiums.
We used reclaimed wood, composted soil from my pumpkin patch, and an old windowpane on the top. I attached a thermometer to the corner. When I lift the window and reach into the frame, I can feel the warmth of the soil. The other afternoon, the thermometer registered 100 degrees. I don’t know how long the plants will survive, but they are thriving right now. I’ll keep you posted.
Let me know if you have experience with cold frames and what works for you and any tips you have…
Swine Time… Next Thursday, Mark Baker is the keynote speaker at the Farmer’s Defense Fund fundraiser in California next week. I’ll post a full report when I get back.
Heritage breeds of pigs. Organic in Michigan. And there are feral pigs. Mark Baker will be speaking about the case for pigs. Hungarian pigs in Concord.
