The early days of spring this year have been snowy, sunny, rainy, and on the whole, unpredictable; certainly not the most ideal weather to plant seeds outdoors. But by using cold frames, the students at U of T defied this adversity, sowing seeds into the planters at the Medical Sciences building during the April month.
volunteers clean the cold frames before installing them at the Medi Sci planters.
A cold frame is at its most basic, a bottomless box with a transparent lid. It is used to cover the plot where seeds have been planted in order to protect them from any dramatic changes in weather by acting as a mini ‘greenhouse’. The heat from the sun gets captured through the window and is circulated within the cold frame. This keeps the seeds warm which promotes early growth, extending the season for growing. For seeds that are less hearty to the extremes of weather, cold frames are a good solution for their survival.
volunteers prep the soil and sow a variety of seeds in the planters where the cold frame will cover to germinate the seeds faster.
By using cold frames, the seeds of your imagination can grow faster and longer. Such is the hope for those seeds planted on that day with names like rainbow dinosaur kale, cosmic purple carrots. The plants will be out of this world!
the cold frame sits on the prepared planter at Med Sci
We checked in on our cold frames a week after we planted seeds and many had germinated!
planting seeds
seedlings sprouting under the cold frames!
written by: Teri Ly, Undergraduate student in Women and Gender Studies.
edited by: Nicole Beuglet, Dig In! intern and Women and Gender Studies Masters Student
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