The Use of Hotbeds and Coldframes 31 



half -row each of eggplant and pepper and one row of 

 tomatoes will produce enough plants for the family 

 garden. As soon as the plants form one true leaf or, as 

 commonly expressed, the third leaf, transplant to the 

 unoccupied part of the bed two inches apart each way. 

 In excessively cold spells, cover the sash with mats or 

 old sacks at night. Cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce 

 may be started in the part of the bed not occupied by 

 tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Since the former will 

 vegetate more promptly than the latter, they may be 

 transplanted to a coldframe before the space is needed 

 by the other more tender plants. These more hardy 

 plants may be started in a coldframe and will be thus 

 less tender than if started in the hotbed. 



The coldframe is made in the same way as that for 

 the hotbed, but is placed over finely pulverized, well- 

 fertilized soil without the manure for bottom heat. 

 Abundant coldframe space will be found both con- 

 venient and profitable even for the family garden. It is 

 convenient for hardening tender plants before trans- 

 planting and for growing lettuce, radishes, cauliflower, 

 parsley, etc., for the table during winter. 



Cantaloupes, cucumbers, squashes and watermelons 

 may be started in these frames, planted in two -inch 

 pots, sunk in the soil of the coldframe, and thus escape 

 both the frost and the attack of insects and, transplanted 

 from the pots, yield fruit two to three weeks earlier than 

 from seed planted in the open ground. 



Economy is practised by building the walls of the 

 hotbed and coldframe of brick four inches thick and 

 facing the top with 2x4 scantling. Pieces of the 



