On August 20, 2000,
Gardening Granny joined
E2; less than 2 hours later, she created a node
The Everything Guide to Gardening. That was the last word heard from Gardening Granny. Her life's work on E2 ended enigmatically: "This is a work in progress...last updated 8-20 ."
Gardening Granny grew up when children still stacked wooden blocks. Fresh strawberries could only be found in June. People walked to get from here to there.
If Granny continued writing here, she might have shared with us her knowledge of sewing and cisterns, of fresh pie crusts and cherry filling. She had little use for Sonic the Hedgehog, but with a few pieces of cloth and a few small slats of wood, Granny could entertain us for hours with a Jacob's ladder.
Perhaps the Gardening Granny served as a pseudonym for a current E2 noder who realized she had less to say than she had hoped. Maybe Gardening Granny died. I trust the gods know. In the meantime, I will take up her banner. Call me Gardening Grandpa.
The temperature dropped to the single digits this past week. The pipes have frozen for the first time in 3 years. Another week of arctic air, and it may be possible to walk across the Sandy Hook Bay. My kale lies flattened on the frozen ground.
Kale does not invite passion. It barely gets a mention on E2. Kale holds a special place, though, for us in the wintry climes; it tolerates freezing. Come February, when I crave sunshine and fresh vegetables like a sensei craves truth, kale waits for me. Its dull blue-green leaves look spectacular against the brown, frozen February ground.
How do I get kale in February? I use a cold frame, a simple bottomless box with a roof made of an abandoned storm window. The cold frame warms the plants inside, and protects them from wind and dessication.
The back of the box is slightly higher than the front, which faces the south. The slant allows more of the southern, winter sun to get inside. The temperature inside can be 15 to 20 degrees warmer than outside. Even in the middle of February, an occasional bug can be seen wending its way through the cold frame universe.
I am sure Gardening Granny knew about cold frames. I am waiting for her reincarnation. In the meantime, I will carry on the Luddite tradition.
A wonderful discussion on cold frames (or "magic boxes") can be found in Eliot Coleman's
Four Season Harvest, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, White River Junction, Vt, 1992.