A good start to the weekend

Friday was a glorious day to be working outside! I happily completed chores on my to do list, including fertilizing the garlic and daffodils, constructing a cold frame, pruning the roses that climb up the railing to the back porch, and layering my compost pile. It is my goal to get a handle on the compost pile this year, as my attempts at creating compost in the past have usually ended up in huge unmanageable piles that did not heat up properly and were filled with weeds. I plan to create thin layers of nine different materials including horse manure that my friend Dana has been delivering to me from the barn where she rides, kitchen scraps that I have been collecting, leaves and grass from the yard, seaweed from the beach, wood ash from the fireplace, seafood scraps that I will pick up at the local fish market, sawdust from the many downed trees and branches in the neighborhood, and garden debris. In between the layers I will apply a biodynamic compost starter, a mixture of beneficial bacteria, fungi, herbs, and enzymes that will stimulate the soil organisms needed to the create vital compost. If done properly, I should not have to turn the pile which will save time and stress and strain on my back. I will continue layering the pile until it is about four feet high, cover it with a final layer of leaves and then let it cook until the fall. Hopefully by then I will have a pile of dark, crumbly compost to use in replenishing the beds. I'm thinking that I will have to make several piles to ensure that I will have all the compost I need next fall.

I put together the cold frame using plastic electrical PVC pipe, wood 2 x 4's, and metal stakes that I bought at Home Depot. Then I covered the frame with 10 foot wide fabric row cover that I bought at the Long Island Cauliflower Association in Riverhead. Once you have all the materials, it is simple to put the cold frame together. Drill holes in the 2 x 4's at three foot intervals throughout the length of the boards. I used four 10 foot boards to create a 20 foot long cold frame. Lay the 2 x 4's in two parallel lines five feet apart. The metal stakes are pounded through the holes in the 2 x 4's and then into the ground to anchor the frame. The plastic hoops are hollow and fit over the stakes. They are pliable and can be bent in a half moon shape that reaches across to the stake on the other side. I used plastic clips made from cut PVC pipe to attach the row cover to the hoops and to close the ends. The cold frame is not heated, but it does warm up during the day and offers protection from the wind. It is where I will put my trays of lettuce mix to grow once the seeds have germinated and also where my other seedlings will go to harden off before planting in the ground.

Unfortunately, when I went to the greenhouse to water this morning I discovered two of the seed trays upside down on the floor. The scallions which were about two inches tall and the cabbage which hadn't yet germinated were a tangle of roots, shoots and soil mix spread all over the place. Even though both the window and door were shut, a small rodent of some kind had burrowed up through the floor and climbed up onto the trays which then tumbled off the shelf. Even though I was aware of the hole in the floor where an animal could get inside, it was still disappointing to have to seed the trays again. I repositioned the trays so that they are sitting more securely on the shelf and I covered the hole in the floor to discourage any more nocturnal visitors. I'm hoping that it is enough to keep unwanted visitors away.