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Vegetable Gardening

Would transparent plastic rubbermaid tubs be any good?

DrHorticulture_

15 years ago

at extending the season? Our highs are now in the upper 40s and lows in the low 20s. I'm still waiting for my radishes to mature and a few of them are starting to show localized freeze damage. If I can get temps just 5 degrees higher, I think they'll survive for two more weeks.

Have you ever tried them? (I'm too lazy to build a cold frame)

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Comments (7)

diggerdee zone 6 CT
15 years ago
Funny you should ask. I just asked a friend of mine if she thought I could use these for cold frames, but I was going to plant in them, and use the lid. She didn't seem to think there would be enough heat retention.

But I guess you are looking to use the tubs as covers, right? That's a whole nother ball of wax, I suppose. Sorry I can't help. This will be my first year using cold frames... if I ever get them built!

:)
Dee
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jimster
15 years ago
Sounds like a nifty idea to me. Alright if I steal it? I would think of it as more of a cloche than a cold frame. Cloches used to be popular (probably still are) in the UK because of the nature of the climate there.

Jim
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User
15 years ago
I used those tubs last year for lettuce and it worked quite well. Plus they are tall enough to allow a lot of growth without bending over. I put a brick on top of it to keep it from blowing away in the Kansas wind. Also, I use a piece of 2x4 to lift it off the soil a little.

When we had an early frost the year before, I used them on my peonies which had begun to shoot up. Perfect. I was one of the few people around who had peony blooms.

I wish the Rubbermaid people would stop and think of ways they could benefit gardeners by manufacturing these sorts of things.
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tcstoehr
15 years ago
I find there's a great lack of affordable hotcaps. I just bought 10 Rubbermaid bins for 3.99 each. They're the clear kind so you can easily see what you've got stashed inside. I plan to use them not for extending any season but for hotcaps in the spring for my winter squashes. Only time will tell if it works or not.

So... what other creative ideas do all you GardenWeb people have for cheap hotcaps or mini-greenhouses?
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ruthieg__tx
15 years ago
The way I feel about that sort of thing is...

What the heck, why not try it...you going to lose them anyway so might as well do all you can. If you could find a sheet of remay to cover them with that might help too.
0
plant-one-on-me
15 years ago
I have done this with lettuce in the past with much success. We were able to get salad greens until Christmas here in Michigan. I would recommend drilling a nice size hole in the top for ventilation if you tend to get "Indian Summers". The one I used had a corner broken off so this was not a problem. When the weather stayed cold I simply covered the hole with duct tape. It also helps extend the season if you cover them with a old blanket at night if the temps get really cold.
0
desertfarmerjohn
15 years ago
Seems like a very good idea. I use them for small compost bins and they work great. They build up quite a bit of heat in the summer and get things decomposing in a hurry. I have a few posts about this on my garden blog linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Container Gardening in the Desert
0

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