Weekly Garden Thread - October 14-20, 2023 [Use Cold Frames to Extend or Jump-Start the Season Edition]

Pollard...I was looking at that too!

Options and Upgrades to the windows and bales cold frame idea.......I wonder if putting down black plastic over the bales and making a sort of protected well between the bails would

1) make it less likely that insects and vermin in the straw would mess with the seedlings; 2) collect heat from the sun and make it warmer 3) keep the humidity up. in the growing space.

Here the squirrels would be digging around in it every day and destroy the seedlings. If you use it think about putting 1" chicken wire over the top and windows on top of that. (I do not think it would keep out any mice!

If you anticipate doing this in cold weather you could get some 40 degree pipe wrap and put it down under the bottom and set your seed trays on top. Would provide bottom heat before it gets to freezing.

As you have previously discussed if it gets too hot everything will cook quickly! You will need to prop those windows open during the day to prevent that!
These are inexpensie heat actuated greenhouse door openers.. (They have a cylinder filled with wax that expands as it heats and opens a window!)

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Greenhouse-Window-Openers/zgbs/lawn-garden/17719527011

You already have the knowledge to figure out how to make it work! Hope this fills the void until you get the greenhouse up!

Good growing!

I sowed seeds and it got a little warmer, sunny and breezy. Hard to keep the top 1/8" - 1/4" of soil dry when I'm gone all day.

I got some 6 mil poly film today to cover the two little beds of Fall veggies, mostly for future frost protection. I still need to make/sow the second bed which I'll be doing first of the week. Mini sprinklers for drip system will be here by then. First of the week will jump back up near the 80s so I don't want plastic over cold hardy seeds. I'll just set the controller to sprinkle them a few times a day.

Just watered with the wand and put the plastic over. Should stay moist tomorrow while I'm at work and hopefully the seeds didn't dry out too much today as to kill them. Only planted 2021 lettuce/mustard seeds so it's not a big loss. I broadcast them heavily though so that should help.

I could have showed my son how to use the sprayer wand to keep thing moist but by not doing that, it drove me to find a way to automate it which is my goal.(they make mini sprinklers for drip systems, who knew?) I don't want to have to walk 400 foot to the tunnel on a 40 degree, windy, rainy day or in a 95 degree thunderstorm to mist a freshly seeded bed or open/close the sides etc.

Do you want to produce garlic seed, or do you just want to plant garlic?

Either way, go with a ‘hardneck; variety. Those produce ‘scapes’ and you get the seed off of the scape. The scape will flower, then produce seed there.

I have never grown garlic for seed production, so you’ll have to ‘google’ the specifics of that.

That said, I buy my garlic bulbs from http://www.jungseed.com

They may be sold out for the season, though. :(

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.