Cold Frame Update for March 14, 2010

On February the 27^th, I planted by broadcast method a few Little Caesar romaine seed along with an equal amount of Cherry Belle radish seed. Both were from packets that were purchased last spring. As you can see, as of March 14^th, they have germinated well and are on their way. The temperatures during the day have been in the middle forties to low fifties while the nights have fallen in the thirties. But, the cold frames have done a good job of protecting the young seedlings from harm.

On this date, I also broadcast a small amount (about one tablespoon) of fertilizer in both frames. I used a NPK (Nitrogen Phosphorous Potassium) mix of 13-13-13 which should give the young seedlings in Cold Frame #1 and the established lettuce plants in Cold Frame #2 a boost. As a side note, when I finish harvesting the lettuce from the small Cold Frame #2, I plan to spread a little finished compost from my compost pile of kitchen scraps out back. I do this to try and insure an even pH balance is maintained. This frame will then be given a rest and will just be used to hold starter trays through the rest of the cool spring days. As warm weather approaches, I’ll broadcast a small cover crop of hairy vetch to help replenish the soil. By doing this, I will help benefit my fall planting of lettuce there.  Note: The small pot in between Cold Frame #1 (nearest) and Cold Frame #2 contains garlic plants. They are destined for the raised bed out back in  week or so.

Yes, I also need to re-caulk the window frames. They are over twenty years old and have performed well late in life. They were donated to me by a friend, Stephanie O’Neal back in 1995 and were pretty old back then. Since that time they have been repainted a couple of times, but now the window panes are falling out because the old caulk has deteriorated so much. Still, they have performed their function very well. A good motto to live by is to re-use and re-cycle whenever possible. Nature has done a great job of this for millions of years and it works really well.