After all the success with my first really real garden this summer, I guess I couldn't bear to see it end! I have wanted to learn about using a cold frame or hoop house to extend the growing season, so I decided I'd better start trying. I deconstructed two large round tomato cages, bought a roll of heavy duty drop cloth, and raided the neighbor's leaf pile for insulation. I put leaves around the insides as well as under the plastic on the outsides of the hoops. I'm hoping the warmth from the leaves will aid in their decomposition, adding nitrogen and more warmth, and I can just keep adding leaves thru the winter. I have a couple bags of leaves set aside for adding to it. The fronts can be raised for ventilation, and the edges are all held down by old boards. I have material to add to the outside for insulation as it gets colder. The whole thing, planting included, took about an hour and cost me five bucks. I still have to see what the best way to water without freezing things would be. Here we go!
So, what's in it? Bibb lettuce, mesclun mix, romaine mix, spinach, and basil. All the things I ran out of windowsill in the kitchen to grow :)
Checked today, and the lettuce is sprouting! As for the watering thing, the condensation that develops on the inside of the plastic overnight seems to be handling that for me just fine. :)
ReplyDeleteStill growing! The spinach is making headway, as are all of the lettuces. I think it is too cool for the basil, tho. Everything seems to be growing slower than spring time growing, and the front hoop house, or the one on the left, isn't growing as fast as the other. Observation shows that it isn't getting as much sun. Placement is everything!
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