I'm working feverishly on finishing my coldframes for my Napoli carrots and Bloomsdale spinach. Maybe some romaine, too. Out in the garden I've planted collards, Red Russian kale, and Early Dividend broccoli. I've got row covers for the cold and chicken wire frames for the stupid deer. And to cap off things - radishes!

HI Dethride,

How were you planning to use your cold frame, in terms of keeping the veges growing as long as possible.
I'm new to cold frames and just finished my own and was wondering how to actually grow the plants in there, and when to leave them to go dormant versus keeping them growing.

Hi, I'm experimenting with the grow tunnels this year, so I'm trying small plantings of lots of things. I planted carrots, spinach, lettuce (didn't germinate well), peas (never germinated), broccoli, mache, kale, beets, radishes and turnips. Everything fits in 3 "somewhat" raised beds, about 2.5 foot wide, 12 foot long. I have everything except the broccoli under homemade grow tunnels (9 gauge wire hoops and 3 mil plastic). I read somewhere that it's tricky growing peas in the fall. The seeds don't like to germinate in soil that is too warm, and while the plants are hardy, the pea pods don't really like the frost. I'll try once more next year, maybe shading the seed area in late summer.

I planted my pea seeds in sept when the ground was still warm. But they love the cooler weather once they get going.

If you have problems germinating, put them between two moist paper towels in a zip lock bag (in the dark) for a few days, then plant the germinated seeds. I've had trouble with the seeds germinating before. This worked for me--then you know for sure that they have germinated.

I live in zone 5 so the things I can grow is limited. But I did seed some late vegetables in early August. so they are producing now and will produce until the middle of of Nov. before the snow.
Things I seeded are Spinach, radichio. endive. rapini, or rape. swiss chards. broccoli. the Broccoli I seeded in July.

Parsnips and icicles

Byron

Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts are up and doing nicely. Spinach & bib lettuce were just seeded a few days ago and I hope they do well. We've never been successful w/spinach as a spring crop here. It just seems to go from cold and rainy straight into stifling heat. There always seem to be too many warm weather veggies competing for space to do lettuce in spring. Onion sets are in the ground. Hopefully, we'll get some carrots seeded. They've done their best for us when fall planted and pulled later in the spring.

If the kiddos would only EAT turnips & beets & chard, they'd be out there growing.

I am goin to try Late fall/winter, Brusselsprouts,spinach,Broccoli,turnips, and peas. Anyhelpful hints appreciated,since its a first time event and we dont know anything about winter crops or cold frames.

I am presently working my butt off trying to get my GH finished. I have been growing lettuce all spring and most of the summer, but the summer has been brutally hot and only the summer lettuces have survived.
I will be growing more lettuce, kale, collards, broccoli and perhaps tomatoes in the GH. This well be my first winter trying all winter long so we shall see.
1eyedJack and the Dawg

I'm building a cold frame for the first time this year as well. Gonna try some bok choy, parsnips, chinese cabbage and leeks.

I've been preparing the fall garden, too. I direct seeded radishes, romaine, amish deer tongue lettuce, wrinkly cress, 4 types of heirloom carrots, 2 heirloom beets, several types of onions, celery, 2 heirloom cabbages... I think that's all. Oh, I have French breakfast radishes coming up around all the slower growing stuff, so we'll have plenty of those. I'm about to plant purple hull peas, and I went ahead and started 4 varieties of winter squash, broccoli, 3 types of brussels sprouts and spinach in some of those little portable greenhouses. It may be way too early for the spinach, but we'll see. We're having a very mild summer, so I thought I'd give it a try. If the rain holds off, I'm going to plant several more cucumbers this afternoon. Aside from the cherry and currant varieties, the tomatoes didn't do much this year. Too much rain, I guess. I pulled some suckers from the healthiest plants, and we'll see if I can get anything out of them in the coming months.

What kind of cukes are you planting? I did alibis this year and have just about pickled myself to death.. I've never had so many little fun cucumbers!
What are purple hull peas? I have some black-eyes that I planted kinda late for my zone, but they are up and climbing the trellis, so I hope they flower soon and set pods.

Purple hulls are a southern black-eyed pea. I have lost track of the cukes I've planted. Some sort of mexican type that looks like a tiny watermelon, but it's round and about the size of a quarter. they're delicious! Some sort of giant white Italian cukes, lemon cukes, armenian cukes, pickling cukes... gosh I know there are more. My kids go out and feast on them straight off the vine every day, so I haven't had a chance to pickle anything.

As of today, my entire fall garden is planted except the spinach. I've never had much luck dealing with spinach in hot weather, so I'm waiting another 4-6 weeks before messing with them. I might go ahead and start some inside just to get a head start.

green beans, tomatoes, papaya, fennel, basil and collards. Gotta get the lettuce in before the rains start or it will be flattened and washed away.

Cucumbers sound like fun, too! Have to get to town and get some seeds.

Tatsoi, pac choi, forono and bull's blood beets, purple top white globe and hakeuri turnip, spinach, red russian Kale, Swiss chard and lettuce mix. This is the first year in a large greenhouse instead of hoop houses so there's a lot to learn.