The white paint reflects light inside the coldframe. Paint it inside and out with a white, oil-based paint to prevent deterioration. The finished product will be an open-ended box: four feet wide, four feet deep and two feet high.
Cut the other two 8-foot 2 x 2s into four 4-foot pieces and save them for the cover.Cut one 2 x 2 into four 2-foot long pieces.Cut the plywood into four 2 x 4-foot pieces.Start with a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood and three 8-foot lengths of 2 x 2.You can also use cold frames to harden-off heat-loving seedlings such as tomatoes, peppers or eggplants, acclimating them to outdoor conditions.īuilding a simple cold frame takes a few hours and requires only simple tools: a hammer, a drill, a saw, and nails or wood screws. You can also use cold frames with an electric heating mat as a bottom heat source, or "hot bed", to extend the growing season.Ĭool-season crops such as lettuce, kale, cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli will perform well when grown in cold frames during cool months. The lid should close snugly to keep warm air from leaking out, but must be on a hinge so that you can vent the cold frame during the day. You can repurpose scrap lumber and old window sashes as cold frame construction materials. When you are ready to set plants out or sow seed, cut holes in the mulch.You can also use rocks, soil staples or other weights instead of soil, just remember any exposed edge is subject to wind and can easily dislodge. Pull the plastic as taut as possible and weigh the edges down with soil.The soil should have high moisture before you lay the plastic.If installed in cool temperatures, the mulch will become loose and ripple as the day warms, making it less effective. Laying the plastic in the heat of the day will result in the best installation since the mulch shrinks as temperatures drop.You may wish to form raised beds before applying the plastic film. Prepare your garden, working in fertilizer and/or compost.
#COLD WEATHER WALL CAPS INSTALL#
You can design and install a system of drip irrigation under the mulch, or plan to water your plants at the holes you cut for planting. The soil under the plastic can also become very dry. In this way, the soil absorbs more solar energy under clear plastic than under black plastic.ĭepending on your garden soil type, and how much rain your garden gets, rain that falls on soil not covered by plastic may move laterally and supply your plants with water. Heat cannot escape from the soil because the water blocks energy that is trying to escape. It warms the soil more than black plastic because a film of water forms on the underside of the mulch. If there are air pockets under the mulch, the plastic will not transfer the heat.Ĭlear plastic mulch does not need to be in complete contact with the soil, although it is best to apply it smoothly. The plastic absorbs the sun’s energy and conducts it to the soil touching the plastic. The surface of the soil needs to be smooth and level for black, green/olive, blue and red plastic mulch to warm the soil. With this method, the effect of the plastic will come later. You can also lay the plastic and plant the same day. To warm the soil for heat-loving plants, put plastic mulch in place one or two weeks before planting. If MDA’s map does not cover your area, use a thermometer to measure the temperature two to four inches below the surface. Even if you do not use any techniques to start early, you will still want to know when the soil is warm enough to plant heat-loving crops such as sweet corn, cucumbers, melons and squash. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) keeps track of current soil temperatures throughout much of Minnesota.
Tunnels, cold frames, hot caps, tents and floating row covers provide protection from cold and wind, allowing gardeners to start early and keep harvesting until late in the year.Soil-warming mulches help get direct-seeded and transplanted crops off to a good start.There are a number of ways to get an early start in the garden and stretch the harvest longer into the fall. Although the growing season is longer in the Twin Cities metro area and the far southeast corner of the state than other regions, most gardeners in Minnesota agree: the season is too short! The Midwestern Regional Climate Center has produced an up-to-date interactive map of first fall and last spring freeze dates. The first frost in the fall is also important to know. Minnesota gardeners wait impatiently for the last spring freeze date in their area. The typical Minnesota gardening season ranges from May to September.
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