Today I harvested my first baby lettuce from some of the lettuce plants that I'd started inside the house and planted in the cold-frame. It wasn't much, but as I ate it I felt gardening season had begun.
The lettuce, broccoli raab, and baby spinach seeds that I planted in the cold-frame last week have already sprouted and will soon need thinning. From my temperature readings, I have noticed that the cold-frame nightly low is staying about 9 or 10 degrees warmer than the low temperature outside of it. This would mean the the low temperature approximates late April temperatures instead of late March temperatures. I think if I'd finished the cold-frame sooner I could have started planting lettuce sooner. That will be an experiment for next year.
The lettuce, broccoli raab, and baby spinach seeds that I planted in the cold-frame last week have already sprouted and will soon need thinning. From my temperature readings, I have noticed that the cold-frame nightly low is staying about 9 or 10 degrees warmer than the low temperature outside of it. This would mean the the low temperature approximates late April temperatures instead of late March temperatures. I think if I'd finished the cold-frame sooner I could have started planting lettuce sooner. That will be an experiment for next year.
How exciting to be eating your first harvested salad of the season. Looks great!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little jealous--my lettuce isn't even up yet. Shoud be any day now...
ReplyDeleteAlso, there's a really good article over on Energy Bulletin about small-space gardening. Lots of good references.
That's amazing! I'm so impressed - it feels like (will be, in fact) months before I can get anything fresh from the farmers' markets. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteWow! Look at that cold frame go! Do you have a problem with the "uphill" soil drying out and the "downhill" soil staying too damp?
ReplyDeleteMauricio,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, interesting site.
Leslie, I haven't had a problem with the uphill soil drying out, but it's be rahter cold and damp lately. It will be interesting to see what happens when it gets warmer. Yesterday it snowed here and the cold frame went down to 33 degrees. This was a disaster for the tomatoes as my next post will show. :(
I'm sure enjoying your blog. I'm interested in smaller lot gardening, and I'm encouraged by the work and experimentation you're doing with your cold frame. It's giving me some ideas to try here at my place.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really enjoyed reading the article Mauricio posted.
I've placed a link to your blog on mine, Yak Attack.
Warmest Regards,
lewlew