The mini-greenhouses, or cold frames, have been working out extremely well as seen by the healthy tomato plants now growing inside!
The tomato seedlings had been sitting in the greenhouse in their soil blocks waiting to be planted in the garden. I wasn't able to transplant them earlier because the weather wasn't cooperating, but they seemed to be holding up just fine. I was getting concerned because some of the plants were starting to flower early, but as you can see from the photo the soil blocks allowed the roots to grow thick without becoming pot bound and the plants were healthy despite their longer stay in the greenhouse
I previously had kale growing in the min-greenhouse which I planted last fall. I harvested everything, gently cultivated the soil and topped with 6" of homemade compost before planting the tomato seedlings. The mini-greenhouse has been working well, keeping in the heat and moisture during the colder nights and days, as seen by the condensation on the plastic. I am careful to monitor the temperatures so it doesn't get too hot inside. During the warmer sunny days I open the roof vents for ventilation and to allow the bees get inside to do their job.
These tomatoes were planted on 5/13/12 and you can see how small they were when they went in. In just a few weeks they have become dark green with vigorous growth, almost ready for pruning.
The plants on the edges of the mini-greenhouse are starting to reach the roof line, but the days are getting warmer so I can either leave the vents open all the time or move the mini-greenhouse off the plants and put in plant stakes.
If you would like to build your own mini-greenhouse, the plans are available on my website for download by clicking here. I am also putting together full size greenhouse plans that will be available in both downloadable pdf form and paper print set that you can order so you can build your own inexpensive greenhouse!
Posts
