16F

A temperature of 16F will evidently kill broccoli even if it is covered by a cold frame. That was what I experienced this week. I went out to pick some broccoli for dinner and found a horrible smell coming from under the cold frame. The spinach and lettuce still seem to be doing fine.

The lesson to be learned here is to plant broccoli and cauliflower earlier so I can harvest earlier.

I have thought about figuring out how to install a small heater with a fan in the cold frame that I could kick on when the temperature falls too low. I may continue to think about this. If I were better at electronics, I would design one that had a built in temperature sensor to auto-start it when under-the-frame temperatures dipped below a certain level. It might be worth thinking about or even searching for should someone have already thought of it. Then, instead of paying $3 a head for broccoli at the store, I could pay $10 a head as a prize for growing it myself. I obviously have to think about this.