Snowblowing Our Way To Lunch (DTube Version)

This is the south side of our house where we decided to add some cold frames.
The wooden frames are one to two feet tall, with a framed, hinged top. The tops are sloped towards the winter sun to capture more light and to improve runoff of water, and are covered with semi clear plastic.

Unfortunately, snow happens in January and we had to do some digging before picking
our salad. We had to use the snowblower just to get near the cold frames, then carefully uncover
them with a shovel, and again, blow the remaining snow away...(we got well over a foot this time).
Finally we were able to open the covers and see what, if anything, had survived. And survive it did..
a variety of mixed lettuce greens, spinach and arugula. More than enough for lunch, dinner and
possible the rest of the winter.

The seeds of these plants were sown in early September of last year. It is now January, and the plants are green and healthy in the cold frames, even after being burried with over a foot of snow, not to mention temperatures well below freezing and wind chills several degrees below that.

In early spring after all the greens have been harvested, we will use the frames to start cabbage and
broccoli plants, and later, to harden off tomato and pepper plants, before placing them in the open
garden.

A cold frame is like a miniature greenhouse and the perfect way to extend the gardening season....and who doesn't enjoy a fresh, organic, home grown salad...in the middle of winter.