I see some strawberries in our future...

Some of the fondest memories I have of my childhood are the foods that my grandmothers made and grew. My grandma Smith, who lived an hour east of St Louis in Illinois, always had a strawberry patch growing behind the garage.  Every June, we picked fresh, sweet sun-kissed strawberries. I love California but by the time its strawberries have traveled 2,500 miles to my grocery store they are a little lacking in the taste department.  So when I decided  this year to add some raised beds to the middle of the yard in order to maximize my food growing space, the first raised bed I planned was a tiered square bed (I borrowed the idea from Gardener's Supply...wow, I forgot how pretty theirs was) dedicated to strawberries.

Milagro

Here is my handy-dandy cold frame. Made from recycled cedar, and two re-purposed glass doors from IKEA. I planted the bed in early November with arugula, lettuce, and spinach. They sprouted within a few weeks. I was all set to harvest through the winter, and then December turned frigid and my little sprouts shriveled up. In January, the whole cold frame was buried in snow.  I thought for sure my adventures in winter farming were over. Imagine my delight when I looked in the cold frame after the February thaw and so an abundance of fresh greens!