Loading up the Cold Frame

Remember this cold and frosty picture from a couple weeks ago?  Check it out now:

No snow, beginnings of green grass (or weeds), and one section is already home to some rather happy little plants.

Under a layer of horticultural fleece, my young brassicas and allium seedlings are perfectly content.  I'm glad they are tough little boogers, because I'm rapidly running out of room indoors for all the seedlings that suddenly need lots of light.  But the broccoli, cabbage, kale, leeks and onions can handle chilly evenings.  One thing they can't stand, however, is to get too warm, so I just need to remember to slide the window open when the sun is shining.  Cooking these little green babies would be a very sad thing...

In the coming weeks, I plan to use the cold frame and hoop house to gradually harden off seedlings making the transition from the house to the garden.  I can't safely plant much outside yet  given our late frost date in mid-May (although planting peas is in the plans for this weekend), but I should be able to move some hardy seedlings outdoors under cover with the help of a bit of fleece to pop over them if the weather turns frosty.