COLDFRAMES 259 



too much heat in the bed, if the glass is not raised to allow of proper 

 ventilation. It is well to have suitable supports for the glass so 

 that the ventilating may be done easily and to any degree desired. 

 Sometimes hinges are used at one end of each sash and support- 

 ing rods with notches are used at the other end: There is less 

 danger of damage to the glass by wind when hinges are used. As 

 the plants grow larger and the weather is warmer the glass may 

 be left open all day and closed at night. This will aid much in 

 ' 'hardening off" the plants before they are transplanted to the 

 open garden. Thinning the plants in the hot-bed is usually neces- 

 sary, A small bed may start enough small seedlings to fill a very 

 large hotbed or coldframe when they are first transplanted. It 

 is sometimes the practice of gardeners to transplant tomatoes, 

 cabbage, head lettuce, cauliflower > egg-plant, peppers, and others 

 more than once in the beds. Those transplanted without serious 

 damage are handled in this manner, At the first transplanting 

 they are set two inches or so apart, and at the second transplant- 

 ing are set far enough apart to not crowd until moved to the gar- 

 den. By planning the amount of space required for the first seeds 

 and for the final beds the space required to be heated may be re- 

 duced to a minimum. 



Coldframes, Frames of suitable size, so that a person 

 may readily reach from one edge to the center, may be covered 

 with glass or muslin, If no heat is applied from below the soil it 

 is known as a coldframe. Vegetable crops started in the fall in 

 open coldframes may be protected through the winter and pro- 

 duce a rapid growth in very early spring when covered with glass 

 or cloth. Kale, spinach, winter onions and other somewhat hardy 

 vegetables may thus be grown. In reality the coldframe is a winter 

 garden Early spring crops of such small plants as radish, lettuce, 

 and others which require little time may be grown from seed to 

 maturity in coldframes. The coldframe is also useful for the pro- 

 tection of tomato plants and others which are to be ' 'hardened off" 

 before they are set in the open garden. 



When plants are to be stored in coldframes through winter 

 the frames should have some protective covering to be used over 

 the glass when the weather is most severe. This protection may 

 consist of woven mats of rye, straw, old carpets or feed sacks 

 sewed together in strips a little wider than the coldframes. These 

 coverings may be rolled from one end of the frame when they are to 

 be removed. If properly cared for they may last for several years. 



