Propagation: How many jugs have you winter sowed?, 0 by

wrote:
gemini_sage and nanny_56
I am a long-time gardener and as simple as this coldframe is, I could not garden without it. It has served as an over-winter holding box for young plants started indoors, a rooting box for cuttings, a seeding box during fall and winter, and a place to test the hardiness of perennials for my zone 4. When seeds are available of the variety I want, I start them from seeds, rather than buy plants.

See my post above for photo of that coldframe.

My coldframe consists of scrap lumber from a home improvement center who sells scraps and culled lumber cheap. The coldframe measures 6 ft wide x 3 feet deep x 12" high. Shading cloth is attached to a frame, which is hinged to the back of the coldframe. It sits on bare ground about 1" deep. I removed the top 6" of the original soil and replaced it with good garden soil, peatmoss, humus, and manure.

This coldframe is 8 years old and full of seeds sown Oct 2008. A coldframe can be made in any size to suit your need. I built it to fit an old window sash, minus the glass.
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When I lived in NEduring the 80's I owned and operated a small commercial greenhouse specializing in drought resistant plants for NE climate. The coldframe I had then was built from used railroad ties that I was able to obtain free. It was much larger than the one I have now since I grew all from seeds that I sold. I sowed perennials, starting in July and August in flats. By late September the seedlings were large enough to be planted in the coldframe. By late spring, these plants were husky with a good root system and ready for a 3" pot to be sold.

There are many things you can use to build a coldframe with. All it is, is a box with 4 walls and a cover. You can make shade with lath mounted on a frame, like I did.

On a smaller scale, you can use a plastic storage box from Walmart, cut the bottom off, then bury it to within 1/2" from the rim. I have done that with plastic shoe boxes for small seeds to germinate in my coldframe.

Caption: My railroad tie coldframe full of perennials. Photo taken early spring of seedlings sown July and Aug of the previous year. I never covered the coldframe against Nature. Used the lath sceen when the seedlings were newly planted in the coldframe.

This message was edited Mar 3, 2009 10:54 PM