Structures like low tunnels, caterpillar tunnels, and cold frames are excellent tools for extending your growing season, protecting crops from frost, and creating microclimates for winter vegetables. However, even in winter, these structures can overheat on sunny days, potentially stressing or damaging plants. From my Iowa winters in Zone 5 to year-round winter gardening in…
A hoop tunnel can protect plants and seedlings from seasonal temperature extremes in early spring and late fall, heat in summer, animals, and flying pests. Hoops can be covered with lightweight, translucent, spun-bonded polyester, plastic sheeting of varying weights, shade cloth, or bird netting. A hoop tunnel is often used as a sort of cold…
A cold frame is a bottomless box with a clear or translucent top. It is set on the ground or over a planting bed to capture solar energy and heat the air, soil, and plants inside. A cold frame can extend the growing season by one to several months. A cold frame can keep plants…
A cold frame—a low, bottomless box with a clear glass or plastic top, that is set on the ground or over a sunken bed—can extend the growing season by 1 to 3 months. Use a cold frame to extend the growing season from fall into early winter and late winter into spring and protect plants…
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