Simple Disclaimer: Under no circumstances should you try this at home. The following experiment is backed by zero research and is being conducted haphazardly by non-professional amateurs. Improper use of this product, or heck, any use at all, may result in catastrophic fire, electrocution, or even death. Please let these foolish kids complete their trial before attempting this yourself.
I left my wildly inventive and resourceful husband alone for an entire day with the task of constructing a simple window-sized cold frame. You’d think I would’ve learned by now that Doug just doesn’t do “simple.”
Let me introduce you to the “The Pod.”
Unlike a typical cold frame box structure, The Pod is insulated with 1.5″ foam insulation board, and outfitted with 110 volts of electricity. It has a portable thermostat that switches on a 1500 watt electric fan heater if the temperature drops too low. For monitoring purposes, there is a digital thermometer inside that records the minimum and maximum daily temperatures. Theoretically, this micro-greenhouse will let us start seedlings outdoors early in the season. As the season progresses, we can eliminate the artificially-warmed nights and harden off the plants.
Like many of Doug’s inventions, I was impressed with the concept, but skeptical of its safety and reliability. I mean, generally it’s not a great idea to combine electrical cords, a heater, and dripping moisture together in a small confined space. I’m sure it wouldn’t pass any kind of safety inspection, but thus far, its performance has been impressive and we haven’t yet electrocuted ourselves or burned the barn down. (That sound you just heard was my mother gasping over in New Hampshire.)
Though the structure itself has worked like a charm, the humans operating it have made a couple of genocidal mistakes. We slept in on The Pod’s first sunny Saturday morning and by the time we remembered to go out and open the window, it was about 120 degrees inside and the soil blocks were steaming like hot cross buns. Later, we shriveled half a tray of zinnias by having them too close to the blowing heat.
We’ve now gone two weeks without any more mass casualties. During the day we leave the window propped open a little or all the way, depending on the amount of sunshine forecasted. With most of our nights still dropping below freezing, we close the window at night and set the thermostat to 55 degrees. The heater has continued to work flawlessly, even with the high humidity. We have mostly flower seedlings in there now, but are starting to add more tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables as they graduate from the kitchen window, and as my confidence in The Pod’s reliability continues to grow.
I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if by next year, Doug has upgraded The Pod to something more like a vending machine, where you insert seeds into a slot and three months later it plops out a ripened tomato.
Annie, this made me chuckle. I hope continues to be successful and look forward to the mark 2 version, but don’t take the fun out of growing from seed!
Found your blog from Blotanical, hope you have a good time exchanging views with all the lovely people there.
Best wishes Sylvia (England)
I can’t resist commenting on this one, because I have the perfect solution to your `sleeping in’ catastrophe. Did I tell you I took a robotics course over my winter session? Frightening, I know.
But, handy as it turns out, because I think I can program and design a thermostat- activated automatic opener for you! Sounds like a summer collaboration in the making. And once you’ve done that, off to the patent office it goes….shhhhh. :)
Until then, I love your combined entrepreneurial spirit-
Man is always on the lookout what is best for them. Then innovation comes in…… I for one will support gardening creavity!! … Good luck Annie and Doug … cheers!! ~ bangchik at blotanical
Sylvia – Thanks for popping by my blog. Unfortunately, my husband seems to always be thinking of ways to take the fun (at least my idea of fun) out of gardening. Like ‘bangchik’ said, man is always on the lookout for what is best for them. As for me, I will always enjoy the simple pleasure of spending long hours with my own two hands in the dirt. Happy gardening across the pond!
Carol Ann – You’re not going to believe this, but it actually already exists. No surpise, this was also Doug’s proposed alternative to the Saturday alarm clock. They’re even solar powered!http://www.solarventworks.com/univent_installation.htm
But we might still have some patent potential. Maybe we could build and sell these “Pod” packages with built-in heat and automatic window-openers? And might I just say that you’re the coolest woman I know. A robotics class? I’m so intrigued.
Oh this makes me a little happy that my husband stays out of the garden. I’d be petrified that it would all burn down. Then again I might risk it if I’d get a cold frame out of it.