The rack loaded and ready for the experiment.
It has been getting down into the mid teens at night, and into the upper 30′s to low 40′s during the day here in western Michigan. The sun is out a lot more, the snow is starting to melt. I had started some lettuce and broccoli a few weeks ago and it has been doing phenomenal in the window and under the grow lights, but it’s growth has substantially slowed down. I haven’t got the cold frames cleaned out and ready yet, but I do have a rack with a plastic tarp over it that I picked up on clearance last fall. I set it up over the weekend and decided to move one batch of lettuce and broccoli out to it and see how they would fare.
The bottom line is that 18º is just too cold for the broccoli. It was looking pretty sad the next morning. The lettuce, though looking sad, bounced back and is doing just great. It has taken off in the last couple days from the extra energy it gets from the sun vs. the weak lights in the basement window. I’m certain that the next batches I move out in a week or two will be just fine. Furthermore I am going to fill the barrel next to the rack with water to act as a passive heat sink. It was a little early in the year and I was afraid of the possibility of the barrel freezing solid and breaking so I didn’t do it last weekend.
Looking forward to fresh vegetables really soon!
The last photo of the broccoli before its untimely demise.
