Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-06
Gardening in Washington
AND ITS ENVIRONS
CHESTER J. HUM, Garden Editor. The Star.
COLD FRAMES.
And ITS ENVTRONS

| Cold frames are wooden structures
set into or on the surface of the soil
] in some protected part of the yard
! or garden. In these the more hardy
plants are started from seed or the
/ more tender sorts are hardened off
! after being grown in the house. Cold
/ frames are of simple construction and
| are needed for the tender kinds Of
! pla nts for four to six weeks before the
date of the last killing frost. which is
7 reported To he on May Il in Wash
( in2ton. Cabbage and lettuce and
many towering plants. however, are
harder. and may be planted earlier
in the cold frame. HotbedS, on the
other hand. require fermentinC ma
nure or other sources of heat and
need greater care in watering and
ventilation, especially during the mid
die of tho day. when most people are
AT work.
The term "harden-off." IN the gar.
dener's language, is to gradually aC-
custom to outdoor conditions those
plants which have been grown in.
doors or in tho closed frame This
! il accomplished by placing them tenn
porarilY IN . ru!d frame WITH midway
conditions The inside Of a cold frame
ahsorhS heat from the sun. keeping
the air about the plants much warm
or than that outside of The frame.
and at the same time wards off the
cold winds. The process Of hardening
off is a gradual one. AS viii he de-
scribed later.
cold frames can he set n the cor
ner of the garden or whore there is
good soil and some prot ortion from
the northwest winds. TIL, sides are
made of thick boards. being one foot
high above the soil at the roar or
north side and eight inches high at
the south, so that the frame slopes
to catch the rays of the sun. The
width and length will he controlled
by the material 10 be used as ii cover
The commercial hotbcd sash, which
is three feet by six feet, has much
to commend il, The top can be coy
cred with a movable frame over which
is stretched n specially prepared oiled
cloth or celluloid. one can even build
a small frame to be covered with one
or Il series of glazed window sash.
Some of the cooler season vegetable
crops. like cabbage and lettuce. can
be started directly i'm the cold frame.
as may some of the annual Towering
plants The seed is soWn either in
the We'll prepared soil in the cold
frame or in small fats. In both cases
the Seeding plants can he ira nsplant-
ed into papcr pots or into other seed
fats and then hardennd-of in the same
frame. DuInC sunny weather the
glass sash should he elevated tn keep
the franz wou aired During the last
of April or tho first part Of May. the
cover may he LEFT off entirely if the
conditions are favorable. At night
the covering should always he re
placed. and during cold weather the
frames can he protected At night With
sacking. Water with tepid water to
maintain the heat and use Judgment
in the frequency and quantity, as well
as in ventilation. These operations
are most important if ono wishes to
raise vegetable plants for use in his
garden.
cold frames need not be idle in the
summer, for many gardeners grow
crops of CuCumhHrs. squash or mel
ons in their frames. They may also
he used in the late Fan and early
Winter for growing lettuce and other
cold weather crops. Nanr growers
are having fine success WIKI Nint al
crops. one grower Just reporting that
his lettuce did not materi1liy suffer
even during the coolest weather Of
| the past two months. He. however.