GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Can Styro Cooler Be Used As A Cold Frame?

Billy[_10_] · 19-04-2010, 07:25 AM posted to rec.gardens

In article ,
(EVP MAN) wrote:

I want to harden off all my vegetable seedlings a week or two before
planting in the garden. My problem is that I don't care for the fact
that I have to carry all of them in and out of the house each day. I
have several styro coolers with lids that are just sitting in my
basement. Would it be possible to bury these coolers in the ground and
use them as cold frames to harden off my seedlings? I could remove the
lids during nice days and then place the lids back on at night to
protect them from any frost we might still get in my area of PA. Or
perhaps instead of burying the coolers in the ground, I could just pack
soil and sod around them. I dug a new garden this year had have a huge
pile of sod in back of my shed that I would like to find some sort of
use for. Does this sound like a reasonable idea to harden off my plants
or would it not work at all? Thanks in advance for your advice

Rich

Uh-huh. My germination trays come with clear plastic covers. The last
couple of years, I would put them outside, when the seedling were large
enough, and cover them at night, and uncover the next morning when the
sun came out. The last two years, I waited too long on two sunny days,
and lost 2 trays of seedling. Go back to the beginning, and start over.
Your plan is sound, just don't ****-up.

This year, with decent grow lights, I started at the beginning of Feb.
By the first of March, the tomato plants were 12" tall. I was having
visions of 4' plants for planting in May. I put the tomatoes, and others
outside in 4" pots to slow them down. The last 6 weeks was half rain and
and nights in the high 30s. Today I planted 10 of them, at 15" tall, and
one (an Old German) had 2 small tomatoes on it. I am totally stoked. Is
this going to be a great year or what? I have 7 more to plant tomorrow,
and these babies have flowers and are hot to trot. Last year I didn't
have tomatoes until Sept. This year, I'm thinking, late May.

Wow.

Soil is in the high 60s, chicken manure at 18 lbs/100 sq. ft., mulched
with alfalfa (lucerne), wrapped in 6 mil plastic, with drip line.

Just wrapped the pepper beds. Will plant them in 2 weeks. I have 40
jalapenos to find homes for.

Two years ago, it rained until the first of May.
Not this year:O)

Uh, yeah, remember to take the lids off in the morning.
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html