They Call It a Nursery for a Reason

"They Call It a Nursery for a Reason".  That is a quote from a recent Joe Gardener Podcast.  And it so true!  Greenhouses (Nurseries) raise baby plants and they require constant nursing and nurturing.  Especially because you are probably forcing them into an un-natural growing environment early in the season.  This is certainly well intentioned, but it is nonetheless true.  If you want to grow something not native to your growing zone, you are going to have to get an early start.  Otherwise you may be living solely on cabbages and root crops.

This May has been very challenging from a gardening standpoint.  March was mild and most of April wasn't bad, which lulled everyone into optimism for an early spring and the onset of summer weather.  The end of April into the beginning of May has been... exhausting.  Our area temperatures are averaging 9 degrees below normal.  There has been steady wind and/or rain more days than not.  I've had to keep a watchful eye on the row covers and regulating the cold frame is a constant worry.

My Coldframe in its youth

My cold frame is made from heavy wood, and used polycarbonate greenhouse panels which are pretty near the end of their useful life.  They are discolored to the point that they are not letting as much sun in anymore, which actually makes it a very good place to harden off seedlings. It is set on a deep bed of gravel which acts as a heat sink, but with limited sun it doesn't always have a chance to build up much heat during the day.  Especially if you get a few hours of strong sun which  necessitates venting the lid to keep from scorching the plants.

A simple alternative is to bring everything in from the cold frame at night into a building that will hopefully stay warmer during the night but you may be better off adding frost covers inside the cold frame and trying to insulate it further with a removable cover on the outside. I've used a quilted moving pad which is just the right size.  Adding a cover means you have to secure it against the winds and of course it must be removed in the morning to allow the sun back in.  Another possibility is adding an incandescent light bulb to raise the enclosed space a few degrees if that is all that's needed.  Jugs of water will also hold heat and release it slowly.

This past Friday and Saturday were really unpleasant weather (again).  It snowed on and off (big chunks).  It was windy and rainy by turns.  The days were cold and the nights colder.  My tomato plants spent two nights and one whole day inside the garden shed with limited light and no heat or insulation.  I thought it would stay warmer than the cold frame, but I could have been wrong.  They survived anyway but a couple of them are Not. Happy.

Sunday was finally warm and sunny enough to put them back in the cold frame, which reached a whopping 70 degrees mid-afternoon. Tomatoes need temperatures consistently above 55 degrees.  They've spent too much time in 40-50 degree weather and many more cold nights could finish them off.

Last night we had another freeze warning.  Not Frost - Freeze.  Mid-20s.  Despite a partly sunny day with temps topping out at 53, the cold frame was just a little above 40 degrees when I came home yesterday evening, so back inside they went. There just hasn't been enough sun to warm it.  This time I moved them to the insulated chicken coop with a heat lamp on them which kept them at 50 degrees all night.

This morning I awoke to half an inch of crusty, icy snow, and 32 degrees out.  The floating row covers over the cauliflower were no longer floating.  They were weighed down by a layer of ice which is nearly impossible to remove.  Inside the cold frame was about 38 degrees.  Not freezing, but still not good for tomato plants.  Especially plants that have been dangerously near freezing for days.  I couldn't even get all of the ice off the panels without risking damage to them so the heat wouldn't be coming in anytime soon..

So I left them inside.  Its fairly bright in there with large windows, and anything is better than subjecting them to another 40 degree day at this point.  The sun is shining pretty well today.  We have another hard freeze warning for tonight but then our luck begins to turn.  Tomorrow night I will put them back in the cold frame with a frost cover, but I'll probably save out a few of the better plants and take them into the house just in case.