Planting the Cold Frame
I'm so fortunate to be able to grow fresh, organic vegetables all year round - soon, I will have a new crop of produce growing in my cold frame.
A cold frame is a transparent-roofed enclosure, built low to the ground that utilizes solar energy and insulation to create a microclimate suitable for growing or overwintering plants. Yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted seeds in my large cold frame located just outside the main greenhouse - cilantro, parsley, chervil, spinach, and kale.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This long cold frame is located between the main greenhouse and my perennial flower garden, where it can be closely monitored during the season. Historically, cold frames were built as greenhouse extensions tucked against the outer walls with southern exposure outside Victorian glasshouses. Here, it is being given a fresh layer of compost.
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- This year, I decided to use compost-based potting soil mix from the Vermont Compost Company in Montpelier, Vermont. This soil is specifically developed for organic gardening. It is called Fort Vee potting mix.
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- The mix is very dark and fine. It is a blend of composted manure and plant materials.
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- Phurba uses a soft lawn rake to spread the blocking soil evenly across the bed. It’s not a thick layer – just a couple inches to provide the bed’s existing soil with more nutrients.
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- Inside the head house, Ryan labels wooden markers for the different crops. We try to reuse whenever possible. These markers are still in good shape after the last planting and will be fine for use in the cold frame.
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- Ryan uses a bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds to create furrows in the soil of the cold frame. Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows.
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- It’s a cleverly designed tool for making multiple straight rows in one pass. The depth of the furrows depends on the amount of pressure placed on the rake as it moves through the soil.
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- Seeds are available online and at garden centers. Many of my seeds come from Johnny’s Selected Seeds – I’ve been using them for years.
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- The markers are placed along one side of the frame, so they can be seen from the footpath. Ryan and I always work together to decide where everything will be planted. We also plant in succession, meaning we stagger the plantings, so there is always something growing and something to harvest.
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- Ryan sprinkles the seeds in the furrows. The frame was designed for easy reach from all sides.
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- Here, one can see how the preparation rake creates the furrows – all evenly spaced a few inches apart.
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- In cooking, cilantro seeds are called coriander. The “seeds” are actually two cilantro seeds encased in a husk. The husk is hard, round and is light brown or grey in color.
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- Here are some cilantro seeds in the furrow. Hard to see, but they’re there.
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- These are chervil seeds. Chervil is a winter-type herb with dark green leaves. It has a mild, sweet anise flavor and is popular for salads, micro-greens, and garnishing. When planting, cover the seeds very lightly with soil as chervil needs some light to germinate.
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- Parsley is one of the most widely enjoyed culinary herbs. As a medicinal herb, parsley is used as a bitter, aromatic herb that stimulates the digestive process. With its sweet, clean flavor and aroma, parsley is packed with vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamin C, and potassium.
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- Working in an assembly line process, Ryan fills the bed seeds before backfilling the area with soil mix.
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- Spinach contains vitamins A, E, K, and C plus calcium, iron magnesium and potassium. Spinach grows best in the cool weather of spring and fall. Mature spinach plants can tolerate temperatures as low as 10 to 20-degrees Fahrenheit. Planted about an inch apart, these seeds will mature in 35 to 50 days depending on the variety.
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- These are kale seeds. Kale is an exceptionally cold-tolerant crop with a sweet flavor enhanced by frost and cold weather. The open-pollinated varieties are excellent for harvesting at either full size or baby-leaf stage, while the frilly hybrids are best for full-size production.
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- Here, Ryan uses broadcast sowing to spread the kale seeds. Broadcast sowing is a traditional way of planting many types of crops. It’s simpler, faster, and easier than traditional row sowing and works best for plants that do not require singular spacing or that are more easily thinned later.
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- Here, one can see how close these seeds are compared to those done with the row sowing method.
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- Once all the seeds are down, Ryan uses a soft rake to carefully backfill all the furrows.
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- In several weeks, we’ll have gorgeous, nutritious vegetables to eat, share and enjoy – I can’t wait. Do you keep in your cold frame? Share your comments below – I love hearing from you.
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