Last year's attempt at growing corn was an abysmal failure. I maintain that birds were lying in wait as I planted each kernel, and the second the door slammed and I went inside, they were out shoving their beaks into the dirt and gobbling them up. Less than 25 percent of the holes I poked sprouted plants; about half of which grew enough to even resemble corn... and even those were stunted, pitiful looking stalks. The few that somehow attracted pollinators and began to grow ears became dinner for deer within a matter of days.

I had the same lousy rate of germination this year after I direct-sowed some sweet corn, so I decided I would try starting from seed. Yes, it was late, but there's always a chance! I got them going in my straw-bale cold frame, and they were off to a great start.

It didn't take long for the little sprouts to grow big enough to transplant. In they went, spaced about a foot apart in trench-like rows with dirt mounded around the edges to hold in the water. Straw along the sides to keep down the weeds. Never has corn been babied so much!

One meal of home grown sweet corn, that's all I ask!

Heating up in the Cold Frame

Earlier this month I assembled two cold frames from a pair of old windows, some scrap wood, and straw bales. They're not pretty and I didn't document the process, but the result is happy heat-loving plants!

Here are the bell peppers with their glossy green leaves. They struggled to germinate under the fluorescent lights where I started them as seeds, but things are going much better now. The cold frame traps the heat from the sun during the day and keeps it nice and warm.

Here are the tomatillos I started from seed. They love the warmth, but the cold frame is nothing compared to the heat that comes in July and August. If it's anything like last year, the garden will be exploding with tomatillos!