Winter thyme

To most people, winter is a time of hibernation.  The 2011 winter season, in the mid-Atlantic, has been no exception.  From early December, the air has been unrelentingly cold, dropping below 32 almost every night.  Add the windchill, and occasional cloud cover, and the thought of going outside to root around in the garden is the last thing on anyones mind.  Sitting by the fire and enjoying your favorite hot beverage seems somehow much more inviting.  This does not stop a crazy and devoted gardener like myself from engaging in garden related activities.  Reading,  planning, organizing, building, scheming, and stocking up on supplies are some of these.   All of my planning efforts this winter have been focused on this years project.... produce as much food as possible.  The picture below shows the space in which this project will be taking place.  It a quarter acre of grass, situated in a beautiful location on the banks of the Broad Bay, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  It is my canvas, and right now it is still blank.                     

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Only a few weeks ago, the week after Christmas, a snow storm came and dumped a foot of snow on VB.  Shadow, the dog, looks like he's having fun digging his nose in the snow.  Bing, the cat, lived up to his reputation of being a pussy and didn't do outside for the entire week until the snow melted.  Kids enjoyed the most snow they'd ever seen by building igloos and sleding down hills.   The last of the winter hardy greens like kale and collards struggled to stay alive under the white blanket.   Meanwhile, I am already planning my first early spring plantings of these crops.  

This is a cold frame, one of the structures that protect young plants from the cold.  It's in the old garden, which consists of 4 raised beds that have been in production for 3 years.  It is made from a recycled sliding glass door (very heavy), and recycled 2x8 foot pieces of wood.  In the picture it is in the open position, but most of the time stays closed, trapping in warmth.  Today, I curiously poked my finger in the soil outside the frame, which was quite cold.  Then inside, the soil was comfortably warm, around 60 degrees, warm enough even to sow spring plants like carrots and radishes, or plant kale or parsley seedlings into.  The warmth will also help increase activity of the soil microbes, the key to the fertility of the soil. 

      This is another type of cold frame.  The frame is made of pvc, bent and inserted into a wooden base frame.  Horticultural frost cloth is then placed over the frame and rocks hold the cloth down.  This is effective for keeping frost off of plants, and buffering a few degrees, but is not as warm as the glass one.  Another layer of cloth can be added for extra warmth, but light penetration is sacrificed.  The benefits of this type of cold frame compared to the glass one are weight; it can be easily moved by one person, and water; which can move through the cloth but not glass.  Both are easy to construct and are relatively cheap compared to a greenhouse.  Baby seedlings, however, will need a more comfortable environment for a healthy start.  I will be moving indoor for this, to my favorite room in the house.... the sun room.  But for now stay warm and eat your winter veggies!