High Elevation Gardening Web Log "Blog"

I have continued to garden since the Daily Sun published my article ‘Gardening in Cool Weather Rewards the Efforts’ last August using the Quonset style greenhouse/cold frame that I had described.

I have discovered a simple and efficient way to anchor the plastic sheeting on my, now, 15 foot long Quonset style greenhouse/cold frame. Instead of using rocks or anchoring the plastic under the cinderblocks, I purchased two 16 foot long 2 by 4’s and rolled the plastic sheeting on each side around a board. Of course, when the 2 by 4 is this long it helps to have a person at each end. We set the board with the rolled up sheeting right on top of the cinderblocks but you could also lay it on the ground. With the plastic anchored this way I no longer have problems with the wind blowing the plastic off.

When the first hard frost came, the edges of my carrot leaves turned brown. I figured they were frost bitten as my carrot row is located right next to the cinderblock base of the greenhouse. Cold air seemed to seep in through the blocks. At the time, bags of leaves lined the roadsides so I took a tour of the neighborhood looking for those bagged in clear plastic so I was sure to bring home leaves instead of trash. My sons and I placed the bags along the outside edges of the raised cinderblocks for insulation. This works great - no more frost bitten carrot leaves - and the clear plastic bags blend in nicely with the plastic on the greenhouse. The bags also provide additional anchors for the plastic wrapped boards. As the temperature warms this coming spring, I’ll use the leaves in my compost bins.

After that bitterly cold spell in January, the lettuce plants eventually succumbed to the cold. I lost the large, outside leaves of the Swiss chard. But I left the drooping leaves in place to protect the inner stem and leaves and the cold didn’t hurt the newest leaves. I cut those off when we got a “warm” spell and steamed them for dinner. Chard is easier to grow and wash than spinach and it contains about four times a much iron. My kale and broccoli plants also handled the cold with only an occasional browning around the outside edges of the leaves.

When the temperature drops into the single digits at night, I go out the next morning and sprinkle the leaves with water to melt any ice on the plants before the sun warms the greenhouse. This is supposed to prevent frost damage and it seems to work. Thinking that I may not be able to use the water in my rain barrels, I keep the sprinkling can and a couple of buckets full of water inside the greenhouse so I don’t have to haul water from the house. But I have had only one occasion when I could not access water from the rain barrels which are located on the south side of the house. That was on one very cold morning.

And I continue to garden in winter. Recently sown lettuce is coming up in the greenhouse. Broccoli plants sit on the windowsill as I wait for my kale to peek out from the compost and sand mixture that they are planted in. And I am knotting a string trellis in anticipation of planting my heirloom Dwarf Gray sugar peas.

Note: For the record, the author gardens in Country Club area and the picture was taken on February 7. 2007.

By Rebecca Snow
The author is a Master Gardener volunteer for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. For more information about the Master Gardener Program, call 774-1868 ext. 17 or visit our Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.