Winter Garden

[Dumbo]

I guess you have to cough up the money to find out. I would imagine she would. Not like there isn't any deception just looking at the cover and reading the intro...

EDIT:
CountryBoy said he has insulated his carrots with leaves and such and it work. I heard of this (with insulation of some type for carrots). But for those of you out there with these cold frames and 1/8inch glass, is that enough insulation to keep the ground somewhat soft to pull up onions, shallots and carrots like in that picture?

EDIT 2:
Her blog is here:
http://yearroundveggiegardener.blogspot.ca/
So maybe she mentions something about it. No clue. I read a paragraph or two and it's the type of writing that is way to fluffy and flowery for my liking.

Example from blog:
They're built, very basically, from 8-foot lengths of 1 x 2's and the finished trellises measure 8 feet long and once placed in the garden with the 'feet' sunk into the earth, are about 6-feet tall.

In other words, she stuck the 2x1 wood in two feet deep.

I tend not to like reading stuff to fluffy and flowery like that where someone takes a paragraph or 5 to describe a once sentence thing.
(reminds me of Kelly and the 97 paragraphs for 1 door handle. kidding Kelly!Just kidding!)

[CdnChelsea]

A website about cold frame gardening for you, Dumbo. Some good reading there...

http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2504/cold-frame-gardening/page/all

[Dumbo]

TY! Will check it out now. It has my curiosity if these things really keep these plants going when it hits -30.

[davefrombc]

It doesn't take a long, flowery treatise to answer your cold frames in -30 weather question.
The simple , definitive answer is nope

[Dumbo]

Well this guy you linked to is confirming what's in her basket. Leeks, lettuce, carrots.

He says it's the type you plant that's important as well.

He says his cold frame doesn't get colder than ~12C (10F) inside and everything does fine.

He says it's over-wintering, contrary to what this book says. Basically as O'Grubber/Dave/Countryboy describe.

I am so tempted to try this just to see if it works. But I never heard of the specific types he mentions. One would have to look for the best cold hardiest type of plants. The only thing holding me back from trying this is that the shoveling would kill me off. I get snow up past my knee's in the back yard. 3 feet easy. 4 in some area's where the wind blows (and the ideal location for these).

These things (haven't looked at his plans yet) don't seem to me more than 2 feet high.

So. This guy confirms that it works for Maine (-12 to -20C about, depending where in Maine).

Good link! TY CdnChelsea.

[Dumbo]

lol, I don't know now Dave... I think we all need to agree on what to plant. I'll build it, then lay wagers on what survives the winter.

It could be like a forum poker game this winter. Vegetable-poker! heh

[davefrombc]

If you re-read his article , the carrots are grown and then covered with mulch to keep from freezing .. They are not actively growing . He also says the cold frame extends his season until winter cold finally finishes the plants off Most cold frames are made very low 2 Ft. high is about where they're at ... and the farther north you are the steeper the angle needs to be on the glass to capture thew most sunlight... If you try to build one where it is exposed to a lot of wind, you need to think about insulation and double glaze for the glass..

[Dumbo]

Ah ok. I didn't see that as I skimmed over it. So he is doing what countryboy does with his carrots. Yeah. I will have to reread it more carefully.

So much for winter-poker now.

[davefrombc]

I have had carrots and parsnips overwinter up north in zone 2/3. but they were covered with straw and a lot of snow.. Potatoes also survived in ground as long as sufficient snow came before the drop to as low as -40 at times. Any of the root crops will survive in ground if you mulch or get good snow cover before the deep freeze comes. Carrots and parsnips do get sweeter with the cold, beets and potatoes will do ok as long as they don't freeze .Swiss chard will overwinter too and regrow in spring , but quickly bolt to flower and seed since it is biennial.. For that matter , carrots, beets, parsnips and most other root crops are also biennial, unless they are like potatoes and form tubers or rhizomes and will go to seed in the second year .

[Dumbo]

The only way I have ever seen carrots "over winter" is from my previous next door neighbour.

As usual I would plant way to much to use and he would take everything I didn't want. Like the carrots. But he would put them in a few 20-L (5-gal) buckets with sand. Then stick that in his unheated shed.

Never wanted to try any, since I wasn't sure of this, but he swore by it.

I will definitely revisit this topic near fall if I'm still kicking around and see what some of you do.