Cold Frame Update - Early January 09

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 Plants

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.

CF2 on the Way!

It's now mid November 2008 and we are now entering the time of year I like the least. The next fourteen weeks will see some of the coldest weather of the year and most of the trees will be bare. Thank goodness for my cold frame with its spark of spring greenery inside. It will soon have a friend when I install a twin unit next to it. I'm in the process of painting the frame and still need to purchase a soil amendment (vermiculite)to add to the 3 cubic feet of Miracle Gro potting soil bought at a store last week. I now have three trays of plants (lettuce and spinach) that need to be planted out soon, so I need to get to it as they say. The new cold frame will be referred to as CF2 and the original CF1. CF1's plants are going great. I'll try and post a current picture sometime soon. The average temperature in that frame has been about 54F which is near the ideal temperature to grow lettuce and spinach at.

Over the next weeks they are forecasting a series of cold fronts about every other day with lows getting into the twenties. This will be a real test to see how well these guys can surviive.