Well, the first experiment is over. It certainly works as a cold frame. Over the winter, I lost around 75% of everything I put in there. Super Beefsteak tomato cuttings survived fairly well. The potted eggplants are still kicking, though I lost one and all the cuttings.
I might have done better if I hadn't forgotten to cover them one night it dropped below freezing. I killed 50% that night. Pepper cuttings ended up coming inside to take up some residence in the lighted grow box, and any seedlings I put out there died fairly quickly.
The compost heated wall and barrels of water worked until the compost finished, and this is when I discover spring is probably the coldest part of the year for them with the wind and all. I never got the pile to heat again satisfactorily.
Now it's swarming season for the bees here, I've been concentrating on them and the raised beds are sitting idle. Still waiting for the carrots to come up, and still covering the plants, they seem to be doing better. Brandywine, Cherokee purple, Sorrento, and Costoluto Genovese seemed to make it alright in the chill. Rutgers, Yellow Pear, and Mortgage Lifter died badly.
One real problem with my Kludge. To get to the plants I have to take it apart and crawl around on my knees to take care of anything. Of course the compost would have been good heat if it didn't cut out at the wrong time and in a nod to Patrix, I think bottom heat would have been better.
On the plus side, it stood up to the winds rill gud. One reason why I don't have anything but the skeleton of a hoop house here, the wind just rips the plastic away. I've never been able to resolve that problem.
I'll try to get photos set up, I've got frames to build, swarm traps to set out, feeding to keep up, and boxes to build for the hives soon to be bursting with new golden babies. No queen cells here in Middle TN yet, but I have frames solid with brood from one end to the other. That's a warm fuzzy feeling, kind of like when the newbees land on you to see what they smell, and get a little taste. They don't bite until they develop teeth...
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