Can Styro Cooler Be Used As A Cold Frame?

[EVP MAN]

I want to harden off all my vegetable seedlings a week or two before planting in the garden. My problem is that I don't care for the fact that I have to carry all of them in and out of the house each day. I have several styro coolers with lids that are just sitting in my basement. Would it be possible to bury these coolers in the ground and use them as cold frames to harden off my seedlings? I could remove the lids during nice days and then place the lids back on at night to protect them from any frost we might still get in my area of PA. Or perhaps instead of burying the coolers in the ground, I could just pack soil and sod around them. I dug a new garden this year had have a huge pile of sod in back of my shed that I would like to find some sort of use for. Does this sound like a reasonable idea to harden off my plants or would it not work at all? Thanks in advance for your advice :)

Rich

[David Hare-Scott]

I have a mobile greenhouse/ cold frame. It has a framework with wire mesh shelves and a plastic tent over it. I have added wheels so I can move it out in the sun through the day or back under shelter if a frost is likely that night.

David

[Billy]

Uh-huh. My germination trays come with clear plastic covers. The last couple of years, I would put them outside, when the seedling were large enough, and cover them at night, and uncover the next morning when the sun came out. The last two years, I waited too long on two sunny days, and lost 2 trays of seedling. Go back to the beginning, and start over. Your plan is sound, just don't f*ck-up.

This year, with decent grow lights, I started at the beginning of Feb. By the first of March, the tomato plants were 12" tall. I was having visions of 4' plants for planting in May. I put the tomatoes, and others outside in 4" pots to slow them down. The last 6 weeks was half rain and and nights in the high 30s. Today I planted 10 of them, at 15" tall, and one (an Old German) had 2 small tomatoes on it. I am totally stoked. Is this going to be a great year or what? I have 7 more to plant tomorrow, and these babies have flowers and are hot to trot. Last year I didn't have tomatoes until Sept. This year, I'm thinking, late May.

Wow.

Soil is in the high 60s, chicken manure at 18 lbs/100 sq. ft., mulched with alfalfa (lucerne), wrapped in 6 mil plastic, with drip line.

Just wrapped the pepper beds. Will plant them in 2 weeks. I have 40 jalapenos to find homes for.

Two years ago, it rained until the first of May. Not this year:O)

Uh, yeah, remember to take the lids off in the morning.