I'm new to gardening and want to have a cold frame/hoop greenhouse to try my hand at winter greens. I have two choices, a raised bed 4X8 with a hoop that gets pretty good south facing sun or a 4X2 spot against my house with a cold frame top that faces east but is in a narrow brick court yard. The latter gets very warm in the morning sun but doesn't get the benefit of full day direct sun. Do you think the bed against the house will work? It would be smaller and more convenient for my first attempt? Thanks
cold frame choices
If it would be more convenient for your first attempt, I'd give the smaller it a go. But it will also depend on what you're growing. Some veggies, of course, are more tolerant of less direct sun. What's the plan?
I would choose the spot that gets adequate light over the more convenient spot which is shaded for much of the day. In the winter, light is in short supply in the best of locations and to site a coldframe that you intend to use in the dead of a northern winter in a spot that gets only half of the limited light seems doomed from the start.
Smaller isn't always easier to manage and convenience won't add much to your chances of success. A larger coldframe will enclose more soil, which is your only medum for storing the heat your plants will require to survive the frigid nights. A larger unit will be a bit more forgiiving than a small one when you sleep in and are late in uncovering it on a frigid morning or when you forget to vent it on a warmer day.
I would also consider a coldframe instead of a hoop over the larger bed if possible. A well designed cold frame will usually hold its stored heat longer and have less volume that requires it at night than a plastic covered hoop. Designed properly, it can be made removeable to allow use of the bed throughout the growing season.
Wayne
I'm planning to start simple with mache and mixed greens that are heardy. I'm in zone 6. If I do the hoop greenhouse I can always use row covers to help maintain the warmth. My tomatoes do fabulously well in the spot against the house. I've never actually measured the amount of sun time in either site, maybe I should. Thanks for your input.
If your tomatoes do that well there, you're getting plenty of sun. Certainly enough for mache, etc. I agree that the smaller the frame, the greater danger there is of "cooking" your greens if it's not vented adequately. Because of the kind of gardener I am, I tend to vote for the garden you'll see every day (to remind you of what needs doing). More consciencious gardeners will choose differently.