Raised Beds and Cold Frames

Well, it all started with an idea . . . how to make a raised bed without much work. It then morphed into research about cold frames . . . miniature greenhouses . . . raised beds. As I looked at the old, non-working freezer at the back of the barn, the idea grew. I found one other person online that had made a cold-frame out of an old freezer. If you can get past the looks of a junky, rusty, old freezer or frig, then you have the ability to grow year round.

           Here is a picture of the first freezer after my son cut some holes in the door:

Not really knowing what I was doing, I had him drill some drainage holes:

Then I filled it with some of the "black gold" I had - a mixture of horse poop, llama poop, local dirt amd bunny droppings:

Here are a few pics of the freezer filled up with soil:

Since then, I have gathered more freezers and frigs. I now, put a layer of rocks in after the holes are drilled, just to help it drain better.

Okay, so are you wondering if my experiment is working? Well, the pictures above were actually taken more than a month ago. Here is a recent pic of the first freezer bed:

Carrots and lettuce!! I think we will have to have a salad pretty soon!

         Here is another freezer that I planted in last week - this one has a Mr. Stripey tomato plant in it along with some jalapenos and red onions.

So, what does it my garden look like now? How's this - 

Junky looking? Well, maybe just a little but, you must look to the inside of each container . . . that is where the food is. Anyway, I'll keep you updated on how my freezer experiment is going over the months.