ruggr10
Green Thumb
Posts: 352
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 2:53 pm
Location: Brunswick, Maine

What about cold frame for containers?

My lettuce, rapini broccoli, and sweet peas are taking over my grow lighted areas... My raised beds are still frozen (I just shoveled off a foot of snow that was suffocating them!!)... My decks got tons of sun... So I was thinking of up-potting them and building cold frames for their containers.

The next 10 days look like we'll be mostly above freezing but temps will range from 25 degrees at night to 47 degrees during the day.

Worth the risk? Will it work?

Bobberman
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2437
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:31 pm
Location: Latrobe Pa.

Better yet make the containers with a cardboard bottom with holes and leave them in but just thin them! If you don't have a greenhouse a coldframe is the answer. The big difference is you mustonly grow plants that will take some cold like cole crops lettuce spinich peas ect!
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My cold frames I put in over a month ago and have plants up in all 8 of them! I put windows or a plastic cover. I now ony have them lightly covered even though the temp last night was 17. Since the ground holds some heat they seem to be healthy! I figure I will have lettuce ready to eat in 3 more weeks!
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Another advantage of cold frames and putting your boxes inside is to make a under ground compost like with chicken manure or greens and bloodmeal! It does work for me. My peas are 4 inches tall now outside! I have spinich up also! I was supprised that even with 15 degree temp at night nothing froze!



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