Salable Plants from Cold Frames

You can grow any plant to perfection in a properly regulated greenhouse, but there may be times when you need all of your greenhouse space for selected pot plants or other specialties. If you are faced with this predicament, grow your annuals, biennials, and perennials in cold frames, hotbeds, and lath houses. You can add to the efficiency of these setups by giving the plants growing in them the same timely care you give your greenhouse-grown plants. But, since it is easier to control temperature, light, and ventilation in the greenhouse you will have to give even more attention to these details when you grow plants in frames and lath houses.

How to use the cold frame?

You may want to grow plants directly in the cold frame. If so, scoop out 10 to 12 inches of the existing earth and replace it with about 4 inches of gravel or pea rock (to insure drainage) followed by good greenhouse soil filled in to within 6 to 12 inches of the sash-cover. Short-growing plants such as pansies, ground covers, and border plants should be planted in the front of the frame. Taller growing sorts, such as gilia, hollyhock, kniphofia should be planted at the back of the frame.

A better method is to make your original plantings in flats and place them inside the cold frame. These, of course, are portable and easily removed when you want to sell from them or bring them into the greenhouse for potting up. During the first warm days of spring, you will have to ventilate the frame by raising the sash-cover a crack or so in mid-morning and then more as the sun continues to heat the air in the frame. Close the top in mid- or late afternoon, just before the temperature starts to decline, to conserve the warmth.

During winter, in my area, the plants need no water. As spring advances, they need only a slight watering on warm sunny days. As in the greenhouse, this watering should be done in the morning so the plants are dried off before nightfall. In late spring and summer, it will be necessary to paint the glass with shading, or use wooden slatting to protect plants from direct sun. When the weather warms and seedlings have grown sturdy, start hardening them off by opening the frame wider each day or by replacing the glass top with lath.

Following are thumbnail sketches of some reliable moneymakers to grow in a cold frame.

Forget-Me-Nots (Myosotis sylvatica)

For Valentine’s Day, forget-me-nots are traditional. But they sell well all spring, in pots or flats. They are popular for planters, too, alone or with single or double-flowering pink, red or white wax begonias.

For growing in frames, plant the seed in July or August in flats of rich porous soil. Thin seedlings so they are spaced about 4 inches apart. They make rapid growth during cool fall days. Protect the frames with mats during winter. In late December, bring the flats into the cool greenhouse, water them and, when growth shows, pot the plants. They will be flowering and ready to sell for Valentine’s Day. If you prefer to sell them for spring bedding, leave them in the frame all winter. Then late in February or March, depending on your area, remove the mats from the frame to admit some light. In the North, plants will not need watering until late March or early April when you can sell directly from the large flats or, if you prefer, transplanted to smaller flats. (Of course, you can also grow forget-me-nots-from seed to finished plant -in the cool greenhouse.)

Keywords: Greenhouse Gardening, Landscaping, Plants, Pool, Gardener, Landscape, Trees

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