DanO's Garden

Is it Too Soon for Peppers?

2009-03-08T10:55:00.004-05:00

OK. It’s only mid March here in southwest Missouri. The outside temperatures are doing wild gyrations up and down that are indicative of the approach of spring. Just this morning a brief but strong squall line of storms made a quick passage west to east and I saw the outdoor thermometer go from 72F at 9AM to 67F in just fifteen minutes. Tonight, the weather service is predicting a cool down to 40F or so. Not your typical pepper growing weather, for sure. However, seeing as how I will be keep my plants indoors for at least a month. I figured why not! The little plant pictured here is one of five the germinated a week or so ago and came from a packet called Big Dipper. The seed company is Burpee and I’ve always had good germination results with them.

Very shortly, I will be making a trip to the lumber yard here in town to purchase a few 2x6 boards in preparation for the building of another raised bed. This will be my third one in the back yard and will increase my growing space by another 32 square feet. I also plan to use a more custom soil mix containing peat moss, compost and vermiculite that will be separated from the ground by a weed barrier. (I’m doing my best to try and keep the local crabgrass from getting all the nutrients out of the soil). Once established, I hope too plant a wide variety of vegetables including romaine, peppers, radish and beans. I will try and videotape this from start and on into the growing season. It will appear on my You Tube page at DanoManno. Anyway, wish me luck.

River Run Park Post Flood Report

2009-02-27T14:01:00.002-06:00

I just finished a short You Tube piece (River Run Park Post Flood) on a local park that had been flooded for most of last year. It’s called River Run, I think and is run by the Core of Engineers here in southwest Missouri. The heavy rains we had last spring and summer contributed to the rise in what is a flood basin, so I shouldn’t be too surprised. I have lived in the Forsyth area since 1992 and have seen numerous times when the Bull Shoals River has risen out of its banks. This was the first time, however, that the flooding was so persistent. In years past the water generally receded after a month or so. That was not the case this time and I fear that the damage will be much more pronounced. For one thing, many of the trees that line the water way now have big red X’s on them. To me that means they must be removed. If true, there will not be many trees left come summertime when campers will be looking for some shade from the heat. As if that was not bad enough, the ground has an even quarter to half inch of much that was deposited evenly over every surface. This stuff has dried into a hard adobe like substance that looks to be impervious to growing blades of grass. River Run has always been a great place to camp and it is my hope it will be again.

Low Sodium Stuffed Bell Peppers

2009-02-24T09:08:00.005-06:00

While waiting for spring gardening activities to begin, I came up with this recipe. I needed something that would be relatively low in calories, low in cholesterol and low in sodium. Instead of salt, I used so-called fake salt (potassium chloride) for the seasoning. I then only eat one half of each pepper at meal time. The result was much better than I expected.

Ingredients:

2 bell peppers, seeded & tops removed
1/3 lb ground beef, browned & drained
3 tbsp onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1/3 cup rice
1 slice of American cheese

Directions:

Make up the rice according to package directions. Blanch peppers in hot boiling water for about 5 minutes. Combine the hamburger and onion, brown in a pan over medium heat and drain off any excess fat. Add the rice and garlic. Mix a little then add about half the can of tomato sauce and mix well. Add this mixture to the bell peppers. Overfill the cavity slightly. Place these in the crock pot that has been set to low. Add the rest of the tomato sauce.

Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours. Cut the American cheese into four strips and make X’s over each bell pepper. Re-cover and cook for another 15 minutes or nuke briefly in the microwave.

Ice Storm aftermath

2009-01-31T11:25:00.002-06:00

What a wild ride that ice storm was! I cannot believe the luck we had here in Forsyth Missouri to come so close to disaster without actually stepping over the edge. Too bad it hit the Harrison Arkansas area with such a vengeance. I understand that a lot of folks have been without power for three days now. Other states like Tennessee have been even more adversely affected with over 600,000 without power at one point. Even so, the damage done to trees was bad enough. I would estimate that about 15% of all the trees in this area have lost one or more limbs. That adds up to lots and lots of piles of debris in front of most homes in my neighborhood.

My cold frames slept through most of this under a blanket of sleet that is over five inches deep in some spots. It’s Saturday today and most of this stuff should melt as the weather is supposed to warm into the mid fifties today and tomorrow.

My Garden Plans for 2009

2009-01-19T12:50:00.004-06:00

Once the month of January is behind me I find I can begin to concentrate on the how and why of my spring and summer gardening efforts. The month of February is a time for two things to kick in gear. One, I get my catalog orders done. In recent years it seems that seed cost has really gone through the roof. Or is it just me? In either case, I have gotten much more selective concerning what I order and who I order it from. Increasingly, I find myself drawn to a company called Pinetree Garden Seeds (www.superseeds.com). They have a good selection of seeds that do not cost an arm or a leg. They accomplish this by offering packets that contain fewer seeds. This suits me fine as my small raised beds rarely require a packet of 30 tomato seeds to get me through the season. Pinetree offers packets of 15 to 20 seeds. An example of this would be a heirloom tomato, Brandywine, that I love to grow each year. One very popular online company offers a 50 seeds packet for $2.95 while you can get them at Pinetree for $1.15 for 20 seeds. I don’t know about you, but I’ll go for the fewer seeds since they generally have a limited shelf life and I like fresh seeds at the start of each season. This does not mean that I do not order from companies like Burpee Seed (www.burpee.com) or Park Seed (www.parkseed.com) from time to time. They all have great products and service. I just need to keep my eye on reality. (It would be nice if you could order seeds in little micro packs of 5 to 10 at a time. That would be perfect for small time home gardeners like me).

So anyway, I plan to get my computer warmed up and will peruse the electronic pages to see what’s being offered for 09. My two little raised beds are 4x8 feet each in size and produce more than enough for a bachelor like myself. My focus this season will be on the following vegetables for springtime planting; romaine lettuce, spinach, carrots, radishes and beets. These all grow fairly quickly and do not require much growing space. In the late spring I will also plant beans (pole and bush), tomatoes and bell peppers (both sweet and hot).

The second thing I like to get started in the month of February is some plant starts using 10 cell seed starters I’ve had around for ages. By starting some plants indoors (lettuce, radish and spinach in the early spring) I find I can get a great jump on most everyone around me. By the end of March when many gardeners are just beginning to peck at the soil in their yards, I plan on harvesting my first cole crops. I get this done through a combination of early planting and cold frame propagation techniques. I also work my garden soil just as early as possible. Here in southwest Missouri, it’s generally warm enough in late February (see graph) to work in some compost, sand and vermiculite and to get a few early starts out there. More later in the month as I get cranking.

Looking for a little sun

2009-01-18T07:05:00.003-06:00

The good news. It’s mid January so we’ve got a month of winter behind us. The bad news. We’ve got at least another month to go. Record cold has made this winter seem longer than usual. Combine this with the cold state of our economy and I think we could all use a bit of warmth sometime soon.

My cold frames are clicking right along. Like me, they’ve gone into hibernation for the time being, just waiting for that magical morning when the sun comes out and temperatures warm up enough for growth to resume. For my part, I’m planning a more aggressive campaign by relocating, if only for a week or two, to warmer climes. This coming week, I will be taking a trip down to Little Rock Arkansas to check out local conditions and to do a little photo journalism. If time and conditions permit, I may even go the extra distance to New Orleans where I can warm my old bones on gulf breezes.

Cold Frame Update - Early January 09

2009-01-06T15:12:00.004-06:00

Well. Well. It’s the first week in the New Year and I’ve finally harvested my first morsel of lettuce and spinach for a grand total of nine grams! Yes, I said grams. Not much to show for my efforts at this point. I also had a single radish that was about half and inch wide and weighed in at 5 grams. As I think I have pointed out in another entry, the crop is more or less in suspended animation at this time. Everything looks healthy; it’s just not growing very fast. Had planted the seed back in September instead of late October, I think I would have a lot more to eat at this time.

The radish got consumed first and tasted great! The lettuce and spinach was next. I added a small amount of iceberg lettuce and a short stalk celery, then sprinkled on some oil and vinegar. The result was a very fresh and tasty addition to my lunchtime fare.

My big hope is that as the weather moderates, I will see more and more growth. So that’s it for now. A total of 9+5 grams for a whopping total of 14 grams. My basket runnith over.

Cold Frame update - Late December 08

2008-12-26T09:50:00.005-06:00

It’s almost the end of December, the 27th actually and I finally got out to check on the health of my romaine, lettuce and radish plants. They reside in two small cold frames in my front yard and would no doubt be complaining about the cold if they were able. The mean temperature for this month has been two degrees lower than normal and that’s a lot!
I noticed some of the larger plants in cold frame #1 show evidence of tip burn. This was caused by their coming in contact with the glass on days that were below freezing. Otherwise, they are in good health. The plants in cold frame #2 are also good to go, just a little smaller due to them get planted after the ones on frame #1.

Two conclusions I’ve come to regarding this effort are; one, that even though plants will grow during the winter, they do so slowly. And two, I need to consider a much larger cold frame if I am to have anything worth harvesting. Eleven square feet (the inside growing area of both frames together) is not enough to produce enough to feed one person. I will need at least sixteen square feet to accomplish this. So, that will be my next project this coming early spring. I am in the planning stage at this time.

I’m Making Soup – Vegetable Soup!

2008-12-16T16:26:00.004-06:00

It’s one of those cold dreary days when you don’t want to go anywhere you don’t have to. The kind of day that shouts SOUP! Not being one to put off my urges, I threw together the following ingredients I had lying around;

5 oz beef stew meat, cut into small pieces.

1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of cut green beans, rinsed
1 can of beef stock
1 can of water
½ medium potato, chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 wedge of green cabbage
1 beef bouillon cube

I found an old pot with a lid. Like me it’s pretty beat up but often contains some pretty good stuff. Placed it on a preheated stove burner and added a small amount of beef. In my world, vegetable soup should taste like vegetables with just a background of meat flavor present.

After braising the beef for a few minutes, I added the onion and then allowed it to go for another minute or so. Next, in went the rest of the ingredients. Did I mention my recipes are also a reflection of my personality, simple and stupid.

On goes the cover and the heat is reduced to a light simmer for about forty five minutes or until I decree that the key veggies are done. Just how done things get is often determined by how hungry I am at the time.

Cold Frame Insulation

2008-12-15T18:27:00.001-06:00

Over the last couple of days, Mother Nature has dropped an arctic cold wave over much of the county. Here in southwest Missouri, we have taken a pretty good hit also. On Sunday, December 14, 2008, the temperatures went from the high sixties to below freezing in just a couple of hours. Yowsers! Overnight, they then dropped into the teens. This is the first time in my memory that such cold came so early in the season. Hey! It’s not even winter yet! Outside, I have two small cold frames I built out of 2x4’s that house young and tender romaine lettuce plants along with a scattering of radishes and spinach. When I began the experiment in September, I had anticipated December temperatures dipping to the twenties once or twice, but not the teens like we have had for the last two days. That’s just too darn cold!

To their credit, the structures have insulated the plants pretty well so far. The temperatures tonight outside will be very cold again, dropping down to 18F or so. This level of cold has been a trial for the plants. I hope I’ve prepared for them by taking additional steps to insure their survival. On Sunday, I made sure to turn on the small 40 watt light sources I have installed in each frame and then covered them with spare floor mats. As a result, the internal temperatures in both cold frames have stayed in the mid to lower forty degree range.

In reflection, if I made any mistakes, it may be that I have neglected to build up the soil around the back side of each frame. The earth is a great insulator and the other three sides are covered well, just not the backsides. Next week, I plan to attach some additional insulation to see if that will help. Also, I’m hoping the ambient temperatures will moderate a bit during the rest of the month.

Mid December Cold Frame Update

2008-12-11T12:51:00.002-06:00

It’s now closing in on the middle of December 2008. The weather here in southwest Missouri has been on the cool side. Already this fall season (it’s still fall until Dec 21st), we have seen quite a few nights where the thermometer has dipped down into the twenties. Over the last couple of night, it has been cold enough (the high today was only 32F) that I left the covers and warming light bulbs on. When I looked out this morning there was even a light dusting of snow, the first of the season, on elevated surfaces.

In spite of everything, the crops look pretty darn good as evidenced by the picture taken this date. OK, so they are a little on the small side. The ambient range of temperatures over the last few weeks has been in the range of 40 to about 55 Fahrenheit, so growth has been slow. I am thinking about increasing the light wattage to 60 in CF#1 to see if that might help. What I really need to think about for next winter (yes, I’m going to try this again) will be an underground heating cable. In any case, I will do a year end update on December 31st and will take some impromptu measurements at that time.

Good Food Costs More

2008-12-09T13:38:00.001-06:00

After learning I had high blood pressure and hearing a stern warning from my doctor, I embarked some time ago on a quest to accomplish three dietary goals; 1) a reduction in weight, 2) elimination of all spurious salt and 3) a farewell to all my favorite meats, eggs and poultry in an effort to get my cholesterol under control. This didn’t leave me with much to eat. Maybe a limp stalk of celery and other assorted vegetables. I was amazed at the amount of salt in everything I had taken for granted. Breads, chips, canned soups and even most packaged goods have liberal amounts of sodium. My new dietary guideline for salt restricted me to just 1500 milligrams of salt per day. Imagine my consternation when I began to actually read the nutritional labels on food. A cup of tomato soup can easily contain 900 milligrams of sodium. That’s well over half my daily allowance right there! Bummer. Maintaining my cholesterol intake to below 100 milligrams per day also proved to be difficult. (I’m genetically disposed to be a meat and potatoes kind of guy). In looking for alternatives, one of my friends had pointed out that there are all kinds of low salt, low cholesterol products out there. I would just have to ferret them out.

It didn’t take me long to figure out a couple of things concerning packaging. Labels may say the food is low fat, low sodium, sodium free, fat free, heart health, zero trans fat… Well – you get the picture. You have to become a nutritionist just to figure it all out. The second thing that became apparent is this; healthy food costs more! A lot more! Even though it may be cheaper to make, you the consumer, will pay through the nose. It’s like the food industry could care less about health if it threatens profits. The sad truth is that foods do taste better if they are full of fats, sugar and salt! Big corporations know this, so that is what they place on the shelves and that is what we buy. When absolutely forced to, they may begrudgingly offer a healthier substitute, but will charge exorbitant fees in the process. (A case in point is an 8 ounce bag of salt free potato chips that sells at a local store for $3.19 versus an 11 ounce bag for $3 bucks)! Hey, the only difference is the lack of salt. Right?

My final gripe is the way many stores will attempt to hide the good stuff around the store. I would be all in favor of some form of label, a bright orange color perhaps, that shouts ‘Low Salt’ or ‘No cholesterol’. This would make my weekly ordeal so much more painless. OK. I’m through for now. I have to go shopping.

Shadow Rock Park - A Post Flood Report

2008-12-08T11:13:00.003-06:00

In the spring and summer of 2008, exceptional rains caused a local river in Forsyth Missouri to overflow its banks. The resultant flood completely submerged two popular park sites known as Shadow Rock and River Run. The flood lasted over six months, the longest in recent memory. After the waters subsided, everything in the area was covered by a half inch of river muck that dried into a concrete like substance. While there have been some cleanup efforts both park areas still need a lot of work. Both parks have suffered some degree of damage, especially to buildings that, after a prolonged period of submersion, were assaulted by the remnants of two hurricanes, Gustav and Ike. One building, in particular, the popular Lions Club kitchen and exhibition hall had part of its roof torn off. One rumor purports that the City may go ahead and bulldoze it to the ground and then build a new structure in its place.

The roads will need to be cleaned with road graders and a large contingent of volunteers may be sought this spring to added in then general removal of trash, tree limbs and other assorted flotsam that litter both parks.

In a precious report, I alluded to the possibility that the grassy areas may or may not grow back. If this is the case, re-seeding will need to be done in order to bring both parks back up to specifications. Both areas are very popular spots for local events and campers during the regular season and bring in much needed money for the city of Forsyth.

My Radish Problem - No Bulbs!

2008-12-05T09:09:00.004-06:00

Here’s the problem. My radishes have not bulbed up after putting on great tops in my cold frame #1. As you can see in the slightly blurry picture, they look very healthy with the exception that where a nice radish should be, there is only a red root.

Some blogs have suggested that the problem might be do to the nature of the soil I’m using. In my cold frame I have used a potting mix, not actual garden soil. Also this mix is pre-fertilized and perhaps it is due to the excess nitrogen that I’m just getting leaves and no root crop.

So, in the fashion of a true researcher, I am planning the following experiment. I am going to set aside one square foot of space (actually an area measuring 6 inches by 24 inches and will divide it up into four sections, each containing a different mix of soil. I will then sow equal mounts of radish seed and will keep a record of the development of each. Perhaps I will then be able to solve the mystery of poor radish development.

My soil mix strategy will be as follows; Area one will have plain soil taken from the garden. This is basically 100% unimproved clavey loam (CL) that is very common in this area. Area two will be 75% CL and 25% Scotts Premium potting mix (PM). Area three will be a 50-50 blend of CL and PM. Finally, area four will be all potting mix.

I plan to document this experiment from the date of visible germination to finish by taking photographs from a fixed position. This will allow me to quantify the rate of bulbing (if any) against a scale of time. I plan to report these results in a future blog and will do a video of the results on YouTube. Wish me luck.

First Snow of the Season – Be Prepared

2008-11-30T08:33:00.000-06:00

OK – so I’m exaggerating a little. When I got up this morning there were only a few flakes coming down and its too warm for them to stick. The effect, however, is enough to get me to thinking about the sort of winter we will have this year. The weather service is using the catch all word ‘variable’ to describe what we can expect. Sounds like a copout to me. Why can’t they just say, ‘We have no clue?’

Whatever the outcome, it’s a good idea to make sure your vehicle(s) are well stocked and prepared for inclement weather. As a matter of course, make sure to check your tires and battery before the advent of really cold temps. These are the two most often experienced problems that motorists have this time of year. Also, if you live in a rural area, make sure to put together a little survival kit in case you get stuck somewhere far from home. Key items would be a fully charged cell phone, candles to help keep warm, food, a good thermal blanket, a whistle and flares. This stuff is a pain to cart around, but if you’ve ever gotten stuck far from home on a dark night as I have, it can really save your bacon.

Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans

2008-11-29T11:59:00.002-06:00

Kentucky Pole beans have been around for quite a while. 'Kentucky Wonder' was first introduced in 1877 by Ferry-Morse Seed Company and is still a very popular variety today. I grow them mainly because I like the taste even if they are more susceptible to disease and pests. This is because, unlike bush beans, they are in the garden for a longer period of time. They sell online for about $2.65 for a two ounce package or about 160 beans. That makes the per bean cost about one and a half cents each. That’s pretty expensive if you consider that the average home gardener my only plant twenty seeds or so per season. By the following season, germination rates and therefore seed viability will not be as good. Many go ahead and buy new seed each year. Alternatively, you can prolong the ‘freshness’ factor by keeping them in a sealed container in the refrigerator during the off season. Another way to save on these and all seeds, for that matter, would be to go in with friends who also have a garden and share the costs. By far the best way to save, when it is feasible, is to let some of the pods or fruit go ahead and mature on the vine towards the end of the season. Beans are great sports for this type of treatment. You just leave them on the vine and let them dry out. By October or so, you can go out and harvest them easily. The picture I have published in this blog were harvest this date from the few remaining vines out in my garden. Even though the pods were few, I got over 60 beans that will be stored over winter. Come this spring, about 20 or so will go into production. I plan offer any excess seeds to local gardeners to trade for seeds I might not have. That’s also another good reason to keep track of people who like to garden in your immediate area. You can trade seeds to you hearts content.

Drivers Be Careful Who you Follow!

2008-11-27T09:47:00.001-06:00

Avian flu aficionados. Here’s something new to worry about. Apparently cars driving behind trucks carrying chickens to the slaughterhouse were found to be teeming with poultry bacteria…

Next time you’ve just cruised down the interstate behind a truck full of chickens or Thanksgiving turkeys, you just might want to wash your car. This, because a study led by a team of Johns Hopkins scientists finds that tailgating such feathered cargo can significantly increase your exposure to poultry-borne bacteria. A report was posted in the premier issue of "The Journal of Infection and Public Health," which will publish research on the epidemiology, prevention and control of infectious disease.

In the study, test cars followed poultry trucks as they traveled from farm to slaughterhouse. After these road trips, researchers discovered that the interiors of cars that had their windows down were teeming with a wide variety of bacteria. And many of the bacteria were strains known to be resistant to several common antibiotics. In this age of avian influenza and antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs,’ scientists are exploring all possible pathways of disease between humans and animals. This case shows just one way to keep from being exposed to pathogens that can cause you harm. This article was gleamed from Scientific American.

Empire District Park in Forsyth Missouri

2008-11-26T14:33:00.004-06:00

I decided to take some time off today and hang out in local park here in Forsyth Missouri. It's called empire Park by the locals and comprises a large area of manicured lawns next to Taneycomo Dam where some of the best trout fishing in the United States can be had. This is because the water is really cold. It comes down strezm from the base of Table Rock dam by Branson and feels like it is freezing. I guess the fish like it, however. Personally, I like to come down to walk on the well maintained concrete path that cuts throught the middle of the park. alsong the way there are benches to rest on or you can just find yourself a nice patch of grass and watch the boats go back and forth. Scttered strategically around are picnic tables, some of which are covered. There are also restrooms, boat launch areas and plenty of good spots to fish from shore if you want. At this time of year (November), we still get fdays that see 60F or better. The park on such days is lees crowded and affords anyone a chance to get out to commune with nature. did I mention there are a lot of ducks here also. I counted over 60 during my walk earlier today. So, if you live nearby and have some spare time, please come on out and enjoy! You can view a video on this topic at 'Empire District video'.

A Branson Pot Luck Thanksgiving Lunch

2008-11-25T18:59:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving fareThis past Tuesday, November 25th, agents and their brokers at the Carol Jones Annex in Branson Missouri held a potluck Thanksgiving lunch that was very good. During the event, the mood was upbeat and happy as we dined on succulent and diverse dishes brought in by many of the agents and brokers. It was a smorgasbord par excellent and I was amazed at the diversity. Even in challenging financial times, I think we are all very grateful to live in a country like America and to have the great fortune to be involved in the real estate profession. But I digress.

The food offered for my inspection included all manner of side dishes that complimented the main offerin of turkey. In addition, my personal diet notwithstanding, there was a plethora of pies (some homemade) to tempt even the most discerning taste buds. My hat goes off to all who attended and especially to those who made the time to bring such great food for all to share.

FS Chili Recipe

2008-11-23T15:58:00.003-06:00

The FS stand for Fast Slow, which is what this chili is all about. It goes together fast and easy, but takes seven plus hours to cook. That’s because this is a crock pot dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb beef stew meat, chopped into small pcs.

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can tomato sauce

1 15 oz. can Red Kidney beans, drained

½ bell pepper, chopped

½ large onion, chopped

1 tsp olive oil

1 pkg Chili mix

Directions:

Set a small or 2 ½ quart crock pot to low.

Place the beef into a freezer for about twenty minutes to firm up the flesh. This will make cutting it into small pieces easier. Remove from the freezer, separate and cut into small pieces. All meat to warm to room temperature then place in a frying pan to which a tsp of olive oil has been added. Cook for a few minutes over medium high heat, stirring enough to brown the meat evenly on all sides. Drain and add to the crock pot.

Chop up the onion and bell pepper into small pieces and add these along with the other ingredients (not the Kidney beans) to the crock pot. Cover and cook for about seven hours. About thirty minutes before the end of the cooking time, rinse and add the kidney beans. Serves 6.

Cooks Notes:

A couple of things to know. One I used a commercial chili mix (in my case McCormick’s Original Chili) because I wanted to keep the preparation simple and fast. Second, the chili is going to look really dark and red when you serve it. Almost like BBQ sauce with lumps. Don’t let this bother you, however, it is a very good tasting blend.

Cold Frame construction - Using 2x4's

2008-11-23T09:19:00.002-06:00

In response to numerous requests (actually only 2), I wanted to clear the record on what you need when building a cold frame. Actually any materials will do. I’ve seen cold frames made out of plastic, wood, concrete and blocks of soil. Any material that will; act as a thermal barrier, can be tilted to face south and has a lid that admits light will work. I built mine out of 2x4’s as I had a pile of them lying around so the price was right.

I built the frame by working from the top down. That is I started by measuring an old window frame I scored from a friend, measured it and then cut four pieces of lumber to creat a frame. I then too another piece of lumber and four ‘legs’. Two measured 14 inches and two 9 inches. There were nailed to the four corner of the frame to which were added more lengths of wood until I have a box that measured about a foot and a half

deep. There was no bottom to this box. I merely dug a hole in the ground that was also slanted back to front. I then layered in a sheet of weed blocking material, placed the frame over it and then affixed the window sash to the top with the aid of two hinges. During the construction, I used about forty galvanized nails which cost me a few dollars at the local hardware store. Other than that and the labor, the cost to build was nothing. My only other cost was involved in purchasing three cubic feet of potting soil. I used Miracle Gro for CF#1 and Scott's Premium potting mix for the second one. Both are good. You can use whatever soil you choose, just make sure it is weed free.

Cold Frame Plants

2008-11-22T09:06:00.003-06:00

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last update on cold frame #1 (CF1). I have romaine lettuce, spinach and radishes growing here. As you can see by the picture of a spinach plant, the plants are getting bigger. Growth is not as fast as in the summer, but in view of the below normal temperatures we have had lately (daily temps in the 50’s and nightly in the 20’s) here in southwest Missouri, I am happy they are surviving at all. For added protection, I have made sure to place covers over the frames and even have rigged up two 40 watt light sources to help keep the internal temps in the high 40’s even when it has gotten as low as 24F.

The cooler growing environment is resulting in slower growth. That’s a given. What interests me, however, is the overall effect slow growth will have on the morphology of the mature plants. I do know that in very warm conditions, plants like lettuce and spinach will have a tendency to bolt. Bolting is very common in plants like these when they begin to form flowers and seeds in response to stresses like too much drought, light and heat. I am making sure to give my plants about an inch of water per week, light in the late fall and winter is now as severe and they are definitely not getting over heated. Even under full sun, with the lids closed, I am lucky to see internal temps in the mid 60’s. So when can I expect my first harvest? Perhaps sometime in late December. That’s my best guess at this point.

Internal cold Frame Temperature Data

2008-11-18T11:51:00.003-06:00

After having constructed two identical cold frames and then planting vegetables in them. I began to think about what might happen if it got really cold this winter. I know that most lettuces and many cole crops (Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, and kohlrabi) can survive brief bouts of freezing temperatures. What would happen, I wondered, if it got really cold out there. To that end, I decided to place two wireless 900 MHz temperature sensors into both cold frames just to monitor what was going on.

As luck would have it, last night it did get into the 20’s. I had the opportunity to graph both the ambient outdoor temperature and also the internal frame temps in 30 minute intervals. The graph above is a result of one of those experiments. Note: The Davis reading referrs to the outside ambient temperature.

The results were pretty interesting. For one thing, at 4:30 PM, I switched the sensors just to see if CF2 was really colder than CF1 and yes it is. That may be due t the fact that CF1 has a layer of plastic wrap over the glass which creates a small airspace that may indeed raise the insulating value a little. All other factors being equal, it may have increased the insulation enough to raise the internal temperature about 1 to 2 degrees.

The constant warmth of the ground also creates a warming effect as can be seen by the differing slopes of air temperature versus internal cold frame temperatures. I calculated that it will have to get down around 10 above zero before I would need to go to added measures like turning on an electric light bulb inside the frame. Some night if we do get exceptionally cold I will plan to stay up and record that event to see exactly what would happen.

Romaine is the Game

2008-11-17T12:06:00.001-06:00

How can such a beautiful and healthy vegetable come from such a small seed? I choose to grow romaine lettuce in both my cold frames this winter for two reasons. One it is on the list of the American Cancer Research as a cancer fighting agent, and two it like cold weather and will mature inside of 60 days. It also does well in confined spaces needing just an 8 inch spacing between plants. Unlike leaf lettuce, romaine will also keep for long periods in the refrigerator and adds a lot of crunch to any salad.

Since I have about twelve square feet of growing space, I will be able to grow at least six plants in each cold frame while still having plenty of space for spinach and radish plants. By starting six new plants every third week, I will be insuring a steady supply of greens throughout the winter. Mind you, as a bachelor, I’m only feeding myself.

Got er Done!

2008-11-16T12:58:00.007-06:00

Today was Sunday and it was nicer out than I had thought it would get. we started this morning at 27F but finished with the low fifties. The painting of the frame went quickly as did the did of the hole it would go in. I think the hole deal was about an hour or so. I have also equipped this frame with an internal wireless temperature sensor that is very closely matched to the one on the other frame. right now they bot are in close agreement with CF1 reading 55.4F and the newer CF2 reading 53.1F. As it turned out I did not have to purchase any vermiculite as by mistake, I bought three bags of Scott's Premium potting mix. This was a lot more money than I wanted to spend for this project, but since its done I went ahead and filled CF2 with 2 bags or 2 cubic feet of the stuff. I also have three trays of starter lettuce and spinach plants hardening off in the garage. I will plant these out into the new cold frame sometime early this coming week. The weather service is expecting temperatures to go on a roller coaster ride with cold fronts coming into our area every other day or so. I'm not too worried, however as early this morning when the temperature read a frigid 27F, the atmosphere in CF1 was a balmy 59F. I had covered it last night with two layers and made sure to leave the small 40 watt bulb on also.