And the back of the cold frame is higher than the front, which puts the cover on a slant facing the light. In the spring, an empty cold frame can become a mini greenhouse, perfect for starting seeds to transplant to the garden when the air and soil warm up. Then in summer the covers may be removed and stored and regular garden crops grown in the frames. A big part of any success comes from having good soil. Biernbaum enriches his regularly with compost and manure, and stresses the importance of preparing the planting beds in the fall so they can be worked as early as possible, saving time in the spring.
Gardeners can use layers of coverings to increase the warmth inside the frame over the winter.
Any of the heat-loving crops like tomatoes, beans, corn and eggplant which need warm days and nights to produce. As he walked the rolling, terrain of his property recently, Biernbaum explained that mud season is fast approaching and garden soil, once it thaws, will be too wet for several weeks to sow seed. Then he lifted the shower door lid of the cold frame. Inside, even in the blistering cold of the March twilight, were perky shoots of lettuce and spinach in soil that was already right for growing. He didn't get around to sowing the seed until November, later than he'd intended.