I finally finished my cold frame so the seedlings can transition to the great outdoors. We’ve had such beautiful weather as of late that I’m confident we’ll likely not encounter any freezing for the remainder of Spring. I’m pleased with the cold frame, which is essentially a combination of 5/8″ cedar panels attached to 2×4″ reinforced corners –it’s 18″ high. The top is a new wood storm window that was incorrectly cut by the factory, making it unusable as a storm window, but perfect for a cold frame. Due to my mathematical ‘genius’, there is a –ahem– ‘sufficient’ ventilation gap on each end of the cap, allowing just enough airflow, yet still producing an adequate greenhouse effect.

If my seedlings choose not to survive, I’ll simply re-apply the cold frame as an early and late season lettuce box, extending the lettuce season so we can enjoy fresh garden salads as long as possible.

While I completed the frame, Keri excavated more of the yard, digging another massive hole then burying the top sod. This is more work then it needs to be, but the result is that the soil is manually tilled, loosening up well for the growing season –providing a little extra assistance to growing root systems. By the time we’re done reclaiming more of our lawn this year, we’ll have close to 800 square feet of garden –maybe more.