VEGETABLE GROWING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 



A cold frame is a simple structure, with either a glass or a cloth top. The 

 only source of heat in such a case is the sun, and the structure is simply for 

 the purpose of preventing rapid radiation of heat during the night. It is 

 useful for mild climates, such as exist on the North and Central Coast, and is 

 of particular use in hardening off plants which have been raised in hot-beds 

 and which are about ready to be transplanted. A modified form employed 

 by the household gardener consists of a pane of glass placed over the seed box 



A hot-bed is similar in structure to a glass-covered cold frame, but it is 

 supplied ,vith bottom heat, either by fire flues or fermenting manures. The 

 usual method of applying the heat is to make an excavation in the ground 



A Suitable Type of Cold Frame. 



about 2 feet deep, and to fill it with fresh stable manure which -is thoroughly 

 tramped down during the filling. The frame (see illustration on page *29) is 

 then placed over the manure, which is allowed to heat until the temperature 

 reaches its highest and begins to subside. A light covering of soil is put 

 over the manure, and on top of this the prepared loam in which the seed is 

 to be sown. Instead of spreading the loam on the manure in the hot-bed, it 

 is suggested that seed boxes or " flats " be used and the plants raised in these. 

 They can then be easily transferred to the cold frame for hardening, and later 

 to the field for transplanting. If the original seeding has been too thick, the 

 young plants should be thinned out to allow of full development. Seeding 



