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I was born and raised in the west Deseret of Utah in the town of Herriman.  However, I consider Northwestern Oregon my home.  I have been married 20 years to my high school sweetheart.   We have 3 children.  Our daughter is 15 yrs old and our sons are 12 and 4.    I grew up on a farm and love the simple pleasures received by growing and raising your own food.   I enjoy anything that takes me outdoors.  Love to hike and discover areas of beauty, fishing, and dirt bike riding, camping and traveling.  I am totally in love with the Ocean and would love to have a homestead along the coast of Oregon.  

Coldframe--Ideal for cold weather gardening

You don't need a backyard greenhouse to enjoy cold-weather gardening.  Try a coldframe, the frugal gardener's greenhouse.  The coldframe enables home gardeners to sow summer flowers and vegetables weeks before outdoor spring planting dates.  In addition, you can start annual flowers for fall and winter, and perennials for next year's growing season in a coldframe.

The coldframe protects plants from harsh winter weather, allowing them to grow to transplant size quickly.  A typical coldframe is a wood frame box about three by six feet in size with the back (north side) higher than the front. You will find you will get better insulation if it is at least partly below ground level. If possible the cold frame should face south for the maximum sunlight exposure and it should have at least a 10 percent angle. The top is sloped to capture sunlight and allow rain to run off. The top may be either hinged or removable and can be made of window sash, storm windows, or polyethylene film in a frame.  Polyethylene film may cause a few problems because it tends to sag and collect water.

A sunny, well-drained location protected from the wind is ideal for a coldframe. Good construction will help conserve soil heat at night.  Make the joints of the coldframe as tight as possible.  Bank soil up around the sides to keep the planting area warmer.  Paint the wood surfaces of the coldframe with a primer and one or two coats of white paint to reflect the light.  A wood preservative, such as 2 percent copper napthenate, is safe near plants and can be used before painting to give protection against wood rot. Creosote and pentachlorophenol will poison plants and shouldn't be used.

Heat for the frame comes from the sun.  During the night the heat is gradually lost through the cover.  During the day, the temperature must be controlled so it doesn't get too high (100 degrees is maximum).  Raise the cover of the frame occasionally to reduce the temperature inside and provide good air circulation.  Poor air circulation can cause damping off, mold and botrytis.  The use of a sterile seed medium such as vermiculite, sand or other disease-free planting material helps prevent these problems.

Wood Cold Frame

Straw bale Cold frame

Cold weather plants

The ideal time for planting the winter plants is late summer. As they get enough time to become strong to bear the merciless pangs of winter.  Make sure you plant the seeds at the right depth. Some plants like to be closer to the surface while others grow better deeper underground

Recommendation for plants that will work best in the colder weather:

Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Endives, Fava beans, Garlic, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Onions, Radishes,  Rosemary.

In addition to growing vegetables, a cold frame is an excellent place to start new seeds in springtime or to take cuttings in the fall and winter months of your favorite evergreen plants. In fact, the propagation of new plants, including rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and other broad-leafed and conifer evergreens, can take place in a cold frame. The cuttings can be taken any time from September until early February. You will find the cuttings will root better with bottom heat from a submerged heating cable.

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