Does anyone know if stapling plastic over my zone 5 raised bed would be
effective in starting my mesclun, fava beans and onions earlier than normal
.... or will the soil still be too cold?

Thanks

"Peggy" wrote:

Does anyone know if stapling plastic over my zone 5 raised bed would be
effective in starting my mesclun, fava beans and onions earlier than normal
... or will the soil still be too cold?

Make hoops of PVC pipe to hold the plastic.

Apply the plastic, give it a couple of days to warm the soil,
then plant.

keepan eye on the temps ... you can have cooked mesclun easily.

Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

Tsu Dho Nimh wrote:

Make hoops of PVC pipe to hold the plastic.

Apply the plastic, give it a couple of days to warm the soil,
then plant.

keepan eye on the temps ... you can have cooked mesclun easily...



I would make the rows fairly short and just stretch the plastic over the
hoops and put a rock on each end. In the morning, take the rock off and
fold the plastic back so that both ends are open and the air can
circulate through the cover to keep the temperature reasonable. If
closed up, on a sunny day it can get above 130F in there.

The clear plastic won't help all that much on frost control. You might
need to cover the hoops with a tarp if you are expecting a clear cold
night.

Seasonal hoop house structure should cost no more than $ 10 and may just do
the job. Somewhat weird blow-by-blow he
http://www.renaissancegardens.com/hoophouse.htm

John H. Immink

http://www.renaissancegardens.com/
Outgoing email scanned by Norton 2002

"Peggy" wrote in message
.net...
Does anyone know if stapling plastic over my zone 5 raised bed would be
effective in starting my mesclun, fava beans and onions earlier than
normal
... or will the soil still be too cold?

Thanks

ecologicals wrote:

Seasonal hoop house structure should cost no more than $ 10 and may just do
the job. Somewhat weird blow-by-blow he
http://www.renaissancegardens.com/hoophouse.htm

link didn't work, but this one did:

http://members.shaw.ca/renaissancegardens/hoophouse.htm




The site mentions that the structure used a roll of 6 mil clear poly. If
you use this be aware that the ordinary stuff that you use as a paint
drop cloth is not UV inhibited and will break down in sunlight. It could
last as little as 1 month, but some brands will probably last longer
(don't know which ones). Since this is a seasonal structure, it probably
doesn't matter, but don't plan on using the same plastic for both the
spring and fall.

Yes, placing plastic will warm your soil and jump start your
germination, but you still have to deal with the frost.

Ian

On Thu, 27 Mar 2003 15:41:42 GMT, "ecologicals"
wrote:

Seasonal hoop house structure should cost no more than $ 10 and may just do
the job. Somewhat weird blow-by-blow he
http://www.renaissancegardens.com/hoophouse.htm

Page not found

·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
jammer
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸

On Thu, 27 Mar 2003 11:17:46 -0500, Dwight Sipler
wrote:

http://members.shaw.ca/renaissancegardens/hoophouse.htm

That is simple and cheap enough, i should do that and i could plant a
month earlier.
·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
jammer
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸

The hazards of url redirection, sorry. Going through the main url in the sig
line leads to page 2 where the "menu" is. As it states, this is a cheap and
temporary "solution" but it does work. I have used 10 mil vinyl as well as 6
mil poly, 1/2" dia. tubing as well as 3/4" in various hoophouses. It ain't
pretty but it is a whole lot better than running out to cover things up
during the "shoulder seasons".

--
John H. Immink

http://www.renaissancegardens.com/
Outgoing email scanned by Norton 2002


"jammer" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 27 Mar 2003 15:41:42 GMT, "ecologicals"
wrote:

Seasonal hoop house structure should cost no more than $ 10 and may just
do
the job. Somewhat weird blow-by-blow he
http://www.renaissancegardens.com/hoophouse.htm

Page not found

·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
jammer
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸