On 9 Dec 2009, at 19:02, Kathleen Sayce wrote: > I came close to considering spousicide... when mine suggested that the > perfect place for a cold frame was a spot I've eyed for years, yet is full > of precious old pipes and rotting lumber that he's got stored for some > future project... now I'm waiting for a certain spouse to clear the site. Craigslist is the answer. Put an ad in the "Free" category and someone will be happy to come cart away your husband's treasured junk. Don't waste time trying to sell it for money; consider it a good deal because it saved paying someone to cart it to a dump. As for coldframes: if possible, excavate so the bottom of the frame is about 8 inches (20 cm) below soil level. (This presumes good drainage; you do not want your precious plants sitting in a sump filled with water.) And do not make the height above ground too great, or your plants will be down in a hole looking up longingly at the sky above. If I had the wherewithal, I'd have frames constructed of masonry below ground with a fairly shallow top that could be removed during the growing season. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island http://maps.google.ca/maps/…