Cold Frame Mold Factory

We continue to have more above-freezing days and more sunlight has been been shining on the area where our cold frames are located.  The only problem is that the cold frames were nowhere to be seen.  Our most recent, and only storm to speak of this season, dropped close to 2 feet of snow and our cold frames were buried somewhere beneath it.

There was so much snow up on the hill that I had trouble even locating the first cold frame.  When I finally did get it uncovered I noticed that the top pane of glass had a big impact wound that spread out into the opposite corners.  I figure I must have damaged it while digging it out.  Mike soon joined me in the digging and it wasn't long before 5 of the 6 frames were uncovered without any further damage.  But where was the 6th frame?

We dug and dug where we thought the frame should be and then we dug some more.  We struck dirt but no frame and were both quite confused.  Neither of us could remember with certainty where the 6th frame was.  I sent Mike inside to look back at our 'map' from the fall.  Amazed at how easily we managed to forget something as simple as the placement of our cold frames reminded us of the importance of keeping accurate records... much to my dismay.

Once the bulk of the snow was removed it didn't take long for the sun to melt the remaining powder that covered the tops of the frames.  Most of the vegetables inside looked decent with the mache continuing to be the real winter star, just as Eliot Coleman had promised. 

Most of the greens continue to do well and some even appear harvestable despite the consistent cold and snow cover, but others are being conquered by mold.  The mold is mostly on the dirt itself but there are several areas where patches of mold look like it is taking over some otherwise healthy leaves.

We're not sure why this is happening or what to do about it.  Is it due to a lack of sunlight or daylight in general - too much time buried under the remnants of the last storm?  Is it a result of excess moisture in the frames coupled with a warmish environment thus causing hospitable breeding grounds for mold? When the weather was warmer we did notice a lot of condensation build-up on the insides of the frames.  Maybe it's a matter of airflow and circulation inside the frames.  We're not sure.  For the time being while we're getting some nice sunny days we're experimenting with venting the frames, not so much for temperature regulation, but for air-flow.  If this doesn't seem to impact the mold at all maybe we'll just try removing it to see if it comes back.

In other news, today we finally finished cutting the pieces we need to construct our saw-dust toilet for humanure compost.  Check out the simple and affordable design we're building here.  There's an alternative to dumping 5 gallons of otherwise drinkable water along with incredibly nutrient rich material down the drain every time you flush. Read the book that started it all (for FREE).

A Wormy Winter Wonderland

The snow started to fall in mid-December, and aside from a short break around Christmas, it has hardly let up. It coats the ground, beautifully clings to tree branches and drifts across country roads. I knew it got cold up here, but a wind chill that feels like -5 is a new thing for me. Of course I've felt cold like this before, but I've never lived in it, day in and day out. I'm still trying to get used to it, but some new waterproof snow boots are helping tremendously. It's not like it doesn't snow in New Jersey or Philadelphia--it just doesn't snow this much, or this constantly. We just keep wood on the fire, keep warm under 5-6 blankets and day-dream of the warm summer days in the garden to come.

All this snow and cold not only leaves us with extra time to plan for the spring, but also to focus on other projects we're really excited about. One of these is vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is very similar to the kind of composting you might do in a backyard bin or container, except we're utilizing the power of the worms (in this case Red Wiggler Worms, or Eisenia foetida) to speed up the process. First, we ordered 1000 worms online for about $26. They should take 1-2 weeks to arrive at our door, which gave us plenty of time to get the bin set-up and working.

We bought a simple $5 Rubbermaid bin at Target. Then, we needed to make some bedding for the worms to crawl around in and munch on. Ripped or shredded newspaper, shredded cardboard, straw, peat moss, a little dirt and fallen leaves are all tasty treats that the worms will love. You want to keep the whole thing fairly moist, similar to a wrung-out sponge. Worms don't breath air like we do, but breath through their skin and keeping proper moisture is essential so they don't suffocate. But add too much moisture and they can drown. You need allow for some air-flow to avoid anaerobic conditions which stalls the composting process and can lead to nasty odors as well. We drilled several 1/8" holes in the bottom, sides and lid of our bin to let air flow in and out as well as provide drainage. We propped up the bin on bricks and placed an upturned plastic lid underneath the bin tocollect 'compost tea,' the nutrient-rich drippings of excess moisture. The houseplants will thank us.

To get the bin "warmed up" and ready for our worms' arrival, we added a small pile of kitchen compost to the bin (egg shells, coffe grounds, banana peels, and various vegetable scraps...but go light on the citrus or your bin will become to acidic). Simply lift up some of the bedding, drop in some compost, and cover it back up with bedding. What a simple system!

Next time just add compost to a different section of the bin. There should be no odor, so this kind of composting can easily be done indoors during the winter months. We have ours set up in the basement root cellar right now. Once the worms arrive, we should see some fresh, nutrient-rich compost within 2-3 months.

Our next big project will probably be building our humanure toilet. I'm sure this project will gross some people out, but it's a wonderful way to harness a powerful resource that most of us dismiss and literally flush down the drain. We've purchased the wood we need and we have our design. Now it's just a question of where to set up our saw and build indoors since the winter cold and snow pretty much prevents us for working outdoors without our fingers falling off.

Also, we desperately need a name for our little farm. Any suggestions??