Cold frame innards (note the snow at the top of the photo!).

I started growing vegetables in a cold frame two years ago — beginning the process in early February and growing something through early April. It was a big experiment that surprised me in many ways, not the least of which was its success. So this year, we are branching out to something more permanent and substantial. {Read: Nicer looking.) More on that later.

The first incarnation of our cold frame was super simple and mildly ugly. I leaned a repurposed glass door at a 45-degree angle against our house, placed cinder blocks along the side and filled it in with soil. My aesthetically-sensitive carpenter husband’s left eye twitched at the sight of this jumbled mess, but it worked. We ate beautiful salads of tender lettuces, arugula and spinach by early March and enjoyed a smattering of radishes and kale, as well. There were a few days where I went out to the cold frame in the sleet and snow to harvest these goodies. That felt pretty awesome.

Another interesting side success was the complete lack of pests. Arugula, for example, usually ends up chewed to lacy bits when I grow it during the spring in our raised beds. Yet, it completely thrived in the cold frame without a challenge in the world.

A radish fresh from the cold frame.

Okay, so a little background on the cold frame. The science behind it is to create a space where the soil and the air surrounding the plants are just a little warmer than the outside temperature. Adding these incremental degrees to the growing environment is what allows you to add on another month or two to your vegetable season. You are essentially trying to capture the heat of the sun to warm up the soil and get things to germinate while also protecting the plants from wind and snow. But, by planting crops that thrive in a bit of cold weather, you are setting yourself up for a more successful experience. Consider kale, arugula, lettuce, radishes, spinach or swiss chard. I have heard of acquaintances having luck with sugar snap peas, also.

This year, we are upgrading our cold frame to something like this. Corey has started building it out in his shop and it will be set up on our property in a spot shuffle-close to the house. I hope to sprinkle down seeds by early February. I don’t transplant seed starts into my cold frame because I like the ease of just running out, throwing seeds down and running back inside to the warmth of our wood stove. But if you enjoy starting seeds indoors, go for it. Just get out there and give it a try – growing greens mid-winter is tremendously satisfying.

Tracey Crehan Gerlach lives on five acres in Sugar Hollow, west of Charlottesville, with her husband and daughter. Their organic gardens include edibles, perennials, natives, herbs and vegetables. She blogs about these gardens at Life in Sugar Hollow.