Cold Bed Planting!!

As I mentioned before the other day I ordered my herb seeds from Richters!! Happy! Though I'm excited to plant my little seedlings I know realistically I wont be able to start them outdoors until early April. Or do I???? Well I've been doing some reading on "Cold Beds" and actually it is possible to get them started a bit early with the help of cold bed technology...Hmm.... I'm not sure I'm convinced. The below article came from The Farmer's Almanac website.. They are so great.. every December I buy the almanac for the next year. I read up on how are weathers going to be, and when is the perfect time to plant my crops!! There is lots of useful and fun information in the Almanac..it's definitely worth a read!! I think it would be great and loads of fun to try a cold bed, but if I did I believe I'd start various vegetable seeds, and see if I could get a early harvest.. I'm going to wait to start my precious herb seeds until more favorable weather. I guess I'm a stickler for my process!! Many people start their herb and flower seeds indoors early like in February..so there big enough to plant by the time the weather warms up.. Not me.. I always start my seeds in April outdoors, In my experience seeds started indoors always get spindly and usually die on me..bummer. Maybe I'm not doing something right..But what works for me works.. If I start my seeds outdoors in early April, By Mid May they are always large and healthy and ready for bed planting.. Alot of people say they can't get them big enough that quickly..I don't know maybe I have a magick touch..smile

What is a Cold Frame?
Cold frames are usually bottomless boxes that are set over plants in the garden to protect them in adverse weather. They are usually built low to the ground and have a transparent roof with a hinge.

Why Use a Cold Frame?

Cold frames protect plants from the wind and also retain heat. Gardeners use cold frames to extend their gardening season—to get a jumpstart in the spring when seeds are sowed or to prolong the season in the fall for a couple of weeks. Cold frames are also used to "harden off" seedlings that were started indoors.

• Try sowing seeds of crops such as radish, lettuce, endive, and scallions directly in the frame for an early or late harvest.
• You can even raise them there all summer as long as the cover is removed when warm weather arrives.
• Consider growing winter lettuces of other salad leaves.

How to Make a Cold Frame

• Frames can be bought constructed from timber and plastic but concrete blocks or bricks can also be used.
• You can even construct a bottomless wooden box and set it in the garden or atop other good soil in a sunny location.
• Top the box either with glass (perhaps an old storm window) or a frame covered with clear plastic.
• Hinge the cover or add a sliding lid so that it may be opened for ventilation on warm days.
• If you have high-sided raised beds, you could add a sheet of glass on top to construct a temporary cold frame.
• Temporary frames or "cloches" can also be made by leaning old storm windows tent-style over the plants along the length of the garden row.
• To protect individual seedlings, cut the bottoms out of plastic milk jugs and place them over individual plants, holding the jugs in place with mounded soil. During sunny days, remove the caps for ventilation.