new green in the coldframe!

My first seedlings came up. Marigolds -

and arugula

I set up my coldframe house today.

It was easier than ever. In great shape from winter storage in the garage. No need for a new paint job this year, or to rebuild anything. I had a sheet of plastic large enough to wrap the entire thing in one piece- except for the arch over the roof- so I used a lot less packing tape and staples to fasten it on, and there's fewer possible gaps to cause draft. The only problem is that my shelves warped where they sat in storage in the laundry room. I may need to fashion new ones.

Also I can't find my outdoor thermometer. So I swiped the fridge one. My camera can't read it through the plastic layer, but my eyes can. Outdoor temp right now is 23° and inside my coldframe house it is 52°! Promptly put my new seedling trays out there (already indoors they have been leaning for light, even in the sunniest window I have) and moved in on the lowest level the three mint pots. Kept an eye on the temp guage for a while. When cloud cover moves over, it drops to 46°. That's still fine for the arugula and lettuce (not sprouted yet) a bit cold for the marigolds. When the sun goes down I'll bring the seedlings in to avoid the colder night.

Time to sow more trays!