Cold Frames
My dreams of almost a year ago have finally come to pass.
I have green house hoops!!!
Okay, “House” might be a stretch, but the boxes are covered! I chose to cover a newly planted spinach bed with a trench for winter compost on one side, and the brassica bed that is so happily thriving in this cool fall weather:
With the help of my boys, I hammered a hole in the ground with a hammer and piece of rebar. Then, using a jar gripper for extra gripping power, I shoved the pvc pipe down the hole as far as I could. Did you know that pvc pipe is sold in coils?! I didn’t! Until after I had painstakingly bent straight pvc pipe into rather bumpy curves. Then I found the coils and my endeavour was suddenly much easier. I also learned that the pipe cuts beautifully with a large branch clipper.
After hammering in the pipe, I affixed white row cover material for warmth and frost protection:
Then I wrangled on the plastic cover:
How did I attach the covers? Why, with the very same pipe the covers are resting on! I just cut small pieces of the pipe, sawed a slit in one side, wrenched it open with my beloved dandelion picker, and with much finagling, shoved it over the covers and plastic supports.
Extra protection for the areas the pipe clips go on is a very good idea. I found the plastic and fabric covers to rip rather easily. So I added a double layer of duct tape to the needed spots on the cover. It took extra finagling, but it was worth it:
When I snuck a peek at my babies, they looked quite happy tucked into their new covers:
Ready, Set, Lets see what winter brings!
Update: the day after I installed these was a warm one. I popped my hand inside and it was quite warm and humid. I propped open the ends with sticks and rocks, and closed it again at night. So far, a week later, the covers haven’t blown off and every day moisture is apparent on the inside of the plastic.