It likely freezes fast as well. That's my guess anyway. Of course nothing's melting here right now.

It is obvious that the general land surface is warmer now or why would the snow melt faster. If it were warmer now, would it also be warmer in the spring? Could this be another general belief that has not been proven? If anybody is interested, how about taking notice in your area.

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

i will, i am curious now that you mention it, but i think that, in the winter it will stay colder longer, but as the warmer weather moves in, and stays in, then the dirt will start to thaw more easily. and stayed thawed. but it's kinda like (i know i sound stupid and r e t a r d e d now) it knows to stay frozen longer, i notice that when i "tried" to get something in the fragrant part of the garden. but in march i notice that when it snow's and the rest of the ground melts off the one little "raised" part i had. was no different. LOL ~Medo who know's NO different. **GRINN**

Here is a link that might be useful: Barehanded Totally Nutso Gardener!! **Big Grinn**

Medonto..

Your link is forcing a licence ... See this error message which comes up about 5 seconds after your webpage appears.

Sounds like you are trying to play a song from a cd that you ripped using Windows media player. If that is the case you need to make changes in windows media player.

(Library)(More Options)(Rip Music) then Untick the (Copy Protect Music Box)

Then you can rip music that is not copy protected. Anything you have already ripped will still be copy protected and would have to be re-ripped to remove the copy protection.

If you do not do this then windows will put copy protection in your content.

That's easy, John......If you set a bucket of water on top of the ground during sub freezing temperatures for an adequate length of time, the water will easily freeze. However, a pond next to it won't freeze at all, because of the small amount of the overall mass being exposed to the elements.
Also, the earth's core temperature is 8,132 degrees, and this heat is conducted throughout the different layers of the earth's geological structure. The compost is very loose, and would be much more difficult to conduct heat than the compacted crust of the earth. Gosh....I think I need an adult beverage after all of that...heh.

EG

Leave it to EG to give the logical answer. Start calling you Mr. Spock. Hehe.

Made sense to me. Thanks

*hic*....what?

I'm going to say it's thermal mass. The ground will slower to freeze and slower to warm than the raised bed, just like thermal mass in a passive solar house. I never thought about the beds freezing faster until it was mentioned on another thread, but it does make sense to me.

That's my guess.

Speaking of freezing, it's ZERO outside at my house right now. The forecast is for -7 tonight. Oddly enough, I think it was zero earlier tonight, but an hour ago I saw it got up to 2, then 3, then 4, but now we're back to 0. Bummer.

LOL well, that made sense to me, LOL
ok, i'll take that off Mike, it was ripped from my cd. darned thing!! LOL that's ok!! LOL
ok, removed the background music.
Hey Eg, now those little white packets, you can get any of them at my site from the "seed packet" part. the one from the uk and the winter sowing one are the one's i use the most, also geocities are really cool!! print them off and cut them out, i did find some really cool one's from the uk site, you print them off, cut and fold, and then you just tape or i use the stapler, its alot cheaper, or some people or i should say, one lady went and bought some stickers with the smiley's, they were tiny so i imagine they were a whole bunch for really cheap, but used them for the "tape". now i thought about that, also staples are a heck of alot cheaper than tape for the taping up of the envi's. the size of the one envi i was telling you about, its 4x7. also if you send plants, i send them i put some shredded paper in a BOX, then make sure my roots are clean, wrap them in wet paper towels, then put them in a ziplock baggie, then put a rubber band or a string around it to tie it shut good but not tooooo tight! LOL
put it in the box making sure not to cram it in there, but it can be snug, then more shredded paper. if it has to wait a few days for some reason, stick it in the fridge, it's gonna look great!! also we've learned that priority goes the same as regular mail, doesn't that totally reak!!! so don't pay the extra, but do pay for the confirmation number! so they can't say well i didn't get my box, you can say, well it say's you did! yep, that's all i know, (which isn't much!! LOL)
sorry for the OT John, but i knew i could catch EG here!! LOL ya know, it being the "guys" room and all **big grinn**
i sure do enjoy all the knowledge, i should have known that one, i just taught talla that last month in science, ya know, ummmm.....she's in kindergarten, the things they teach these kids these days. LOL ~Medo

Here is a link that might be useful: Barehanded Totally Nutso Gardener!! **Big Grinn**

I understand the thermal dynamics at least I use to. I do not think it is the mass, the beds are just extruded upwards 6", 8" or 10" and are part of the same mass. I think EG is correct though about it being the thermo conductivity differences between soil and compost. Both of my Grand parents used raised beds and I think the beds were warmer because of the tapered sides, which would increase the surface area and a better angle to the sun. Placing a 2" wooden box around the bed probably diminishes that effect and using compost or MelÂs mix probably diminishes it even farther. Is it possible that surrounding the bed with insulation (wood) and using a very low thermal conductivity material in the box it would be cooler instead of warmer?

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

John - I think overall, the smaller mass of compost or mel's mix would be more susceptible to the surrounding ambient temperature. Also, because of the the moisture retention and aeration properties of it, the soil would be easier to freeze, most definitely.

EG

It was almost 50 Deg F yesterday and I was out with just a vest on (plus clothing) checking the condition of the grass after the dry weather this summer. I was taken by surprise when I noticed all these crazy beds with substantial snow on top. I think part of the answer is, because of surface temperatures the snow started accumulating on the beds first and became deeper than the surrounding surface. I have never used row covers/tunnels because of my access to the GH for my winter gardening. It may be a good idea though to aid in soil warming and possibly keep the vermin more active in the early spring and late fall or maybe keeping them active all winter.

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

I have a lot more than a few inches of snow. If you look out my window you will see that there is a sloped clearing around each of my large pots, but nearly a foot heaped on top. The pots are all covered with a piece of wood to keep too much water from entering and making them expand too much when they freeze. The pots absorb and retain the heat of the sun, releasing it slowly. This melts the snow that comes in contact with the sides. But the snow on top has more exposure to the cold air than to the pot. And the space between the boards and the soil, with the snow on top, all act as insulation, helping to prevent the heat from leaving through the top.

It all makes me very happy because I know that in a few months, even with the snow still on the ground, I will be able to exchange those boards for those old windows in the barn. The windows fit just loosely over the top of the pots, letting in plenty of air, but still retaining all the heat I need to grow early crops of greens. It's the only thing that keeps me sane in March and April.

Kay.