2010 Summer
I have an established cold frame my father made. It's full with plants all winter: Herbs, radicchio lettuce. He made this frame which is covered with opague panels that sit above the electric cord frames that he plugged into shed, to have the electricity under the covers to keep the plants warm & alive inside. When he built this and used succesfly for many years, winters were really cold here, when I was growing up. Now he would have probably used solar panels. I added straw for worth around the plant, plus count on sun heating up the cinder block wall & radiate that back to plants at night.
2013: Oregano, lemon verbena, rosemary, raddicchio, Italian flat parsley, chives
But I found it easier for me to leave off the electrical panels. Heavy for me to set up. So since winters here are warmer now that we are a Zone. 7, higher & hotter, I just put straw around whatever I plant inside & then use just the opague covers. Not true solar panels but they work that way. Successful overwintering since 2009! Even this past 2013-2014 winter from hell! Of course, my "Wish List" includes solar panels for lids!
But when you take off the covers in March when it starts to get warm & see all this GREEN growing underneath.... It's the coolest joy making feeling ever!!
And by May, the plant that went dormant under cover in winter, is now fully grown & ready to pick!
2013 Sicilian cabbage
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