Cold Box/Frame
I've been in the middle of putting together what was supposed to be an easy and no frills small cold box to protect and grow rosemary and some greens over winter. I'm encouraged since I was successful at growing spinach in a 5 gallon bucket during our snowy winter by protecting it with a plastic bag and putting it up against the house.
The day before we left for Orlando, I purchased materials to put it together.
I purchased:
(2) 18"x24" .20" sheets of acrylic
(1) 2'x2' .25" sheet of plywood
(2) pieces of oakwood, 2'x2"x1"
Small brass hinges.
Step 1.1: I had the store cut one sheet of acrylic to get a sheet that's 7"x24" and 11"x24"
Step 1.2: mark up the wood pieces for cutting and designate which is which (ie front left leg)
Step 1.3: let toddler color the pieces of wood with non-toxic pencils
Step 2: go to friend's house with power tools
Step 2.1: check measurements and mark-ups for cutting
Step 2.2: router grooves into oakwood pieces for sliding sheets of plywood and acrylic into
Step 2.3: cut oakwood into 4 legs with slant
Step 2.4: cut plywood for left and right sides of cold box
Step 2.5: with a china marker, mark on acrylic where hinges will go
Step 2.6: with a hammer and nail, pound indents where screws will be drilled into (backside and lid)
In progress
Step 3.1: paint bottoms of wood that will have contact with soil with non-toxic paint
Step 3.2: [optional] let toddler paint the various pieces of wood
Step 4.1: wood glue legs onto wood sides
Step 4.2: let dry overnight
This is where I am currently. The next steps I'm thinking:
Step 5.1: [optional] glue styrofoam sheets to plywood for insulation, I have this styrofoam from some packages that recently arrived
Step 5.2: drill pre-holes into acrylic
Step 5.3: glue gun acrylic panels in for front and back
Step 5.4: dry overnight
Step 6.1: install hinges and lid
Step 6.2: install box
Step 6.3: find an outdoor thermometer to be placed inside the box (probably one of those with a suction cup to the inside of an acrylic panel.
I still have to try to root those plumeria cuttings. These cuttings caused a search at the Orlando airport btw.
I left the cuttings in their original packaging that says, "Approved for export to every US state."
Then I put them back into the bag I got from Hilo Hattie.
And then into Jana's diaper bag.
Yup, I could certainly see how one might think the plumeria cuttings could be a pair of nunchuku. They really went through the diaper bag, they even had to inspect the diaper duck. But my knitting needles were no problem.
The day before we left for Orlando, I purchased materials to put it together.
I purchased:
(2) 18"x24" .20" sheets of acrylic
(1) 2'x2' .25" sheet of plywood
(2) pieces of oakwood, 2'x2"x1"
Small brass hinges.
Step 1.1: I had the store cut one sheet of acrylic to get a sheet that's 7"x24" and 11"x24"
Step 1.2: mark up the wood pieces for cutting and designate which is which (ie front left leg)
Step 1.3: let toddler color the pieces of wood with non-toxic pencils
Step 2: go to friend's house with power tools
Step 2.1: check measurements and mark-ups for cutting
Step 2.2: router grooves into oakwood pieces for sliding sheets of plywood and acrylic into
Step 2.3: cut oakwood into 4 legs with slant
Step 2.4: cut plywood for left and right sides of cold box
Step 2.5: with a china marker, mark on acrylic where hinges will go
Step 2.6: with a hammer and nail, pound indents where screws will be drilled into (backside and lid)
In progress
Step 3.1: paint bottoms of wood that will have contact with soil with non-toxic paint
Step 3.2: [optional] let toddler paint the various pieces of wood
Step 4.1: wood glue legs onto wood sides
Step 4.2: let dry overnight
This is where I am currently. The next steps I'm thinking:
Step 5.1: [optional] glue styrofoam sheets to plywood for insulation, I have this styrofoam from some packages that recently arrived
Step 5.2: drill pre-holes into acrylic
Step 5.3: glue gun acrylic panels in for front and back
Step 5.4: dry overnight
Step 6.1: install hinges and lid
Step 6.2: install box
Step 6.3: find an outdoor thermometer to be placed inside the box (probably one of those with a suction cup to the inside of an acrylic panel.
I still have to try to root those plumeria cuttings. These cuttings caused a search at the Orlando airport btw.
I left the cuttings in their original packaging that says, "Approved for export to every US state."
Then I put them back into the bag I got from Hilo Hattie.
And then into Jana's diaper bag.
Yup, I could certainly see how one might think the plumeria cuttings could be a pair of nunchuku. They really went through the diaper bag, they even had to inspect the diaper duck. But my knitting needles were no problem.