A Cold Frame...Of Sorts

Way back when, people used to make cold frames to start their vegetable plants in the spring. Cold frames protected the plants from frost and gave them a head start. They were sort of miniature greenhouses without the building permit. This is my version of a cold frame. I'm the first one to admit, it looks like hell. But if it does the job, I can gussy it up later.

Last year, I noticed tomatoes plants springing up all over the place. I figured the seeds in the compost never died and germinated all on their own. Most of them where the heirloom variety which are humongous and, if you ask me, taste better. So a little seed of inspiration was planted in my brain and I decided to see if I could grow 'maters from seed instead of buying plants which I've always done.

When I canned all my tomatoes in the Autumn, instead of dumping all my tomato scraps in the compost, I dumped them in their own little pile. First I put down newspaper, then straw, then compost and finished it off with a little earth. A lasagna type compost pile, I suppose you could say.

This week I picked out some old lumber from a duck house we took down a while back and made a frame around the pile which flattened considerably over the winter. I put some more compost on top and some...Tah-Dah!!!...my very own worm castings. Then I put an old window on top of the wood frame. The window was one of the many we replaced when we first moved in. The good thing about this window is that it has a screen in it so I can slide it open a bit if I find it's getting too humid inside.

My hope is that tomatoes will start growing inside. If they do, then I'll root around and find some taller lumber and build a permanent cold frame structure. Right now, the lumber is basically 2 x 4s and will need to be replaced with higher sides if tomatoes do start growing. It's all put together with spit, baling twine and a few strategically placed rocks so it will be easy to improve it if need be. That's the nice thing about renovating an old farmhouse and building chicken coops and what-nots, you always have building supplies hanging around for little make-shift projects.

It's funny how I'm changing my ideas about gardening. When I first started, I wouldn't have even thought of starting tomatoes from seed, now the thought seems perfectly 'natural'. I hope the cold frame works. It would be nice to be able to start everything from seeds instead just a few herbs and 'easy' plants, especially if the seeds are my own. Every year, I spend less and less on getting the garden going. I don't buy compost or manure any more because I make my own. Last year, I planted some of my own seeds I collected. That garden is getting pretty self-sufficient...just like us.