Cold Frame - What to grow?

[Borisbump]

I've just acquired a cold frame. I know they are good for hardening plants off ready for outside living but can I get some veggie growing in it too? Is it essentially a greenhouse but colder?

I have done a search on 'cold frame' but the results don't really answer my question, so thanks in advance for any help received.

[janeyo]

Hi I put my salad leaves and lettuce in there the other week from seed and they are coming up a treat! I also have my leek and onion seeds in there. Mine seems to be a bit warmer than my greenhouse though I think as it's on decking and not earth it keeps warmer.
Am sure lots of people will give you more ideas

[RedThorn]

Saw a thread a bit back. Guy used his cold frames to make hot boxes through summer for his squashes.....

[Borisbump]

Saw a thread a bit back. Guy used his cold frames to make hot boxes through summer for his squashes.....

I'm really new to all this, I haven't got a clue what a hot box is?

[RedThorn]

he used the box to keep things even warmer in summer.... Pumpkins and squashes like warm weather. I'm sure someone will be along to correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm also pretty new to this

[Borisbump]

Hi I put my salad leaves and lettuce in there the other week from seed and they are coming up a treat! I also have my leek and onion seeds in there. Mine seems to be a bit warmer than my greenhouse though I think as it's on decking and not earth it keeps warmer.
Am sure lots of people will give you more ideas

Thanks Janeyo - Can I ask what sort of salad leaves and lettuce you are growing? Or does it not really matter?

[snakeshack]

nice cold frames on sale in aldi less than £30.00.
bought one saturday and am most impressed

[Flummery]

I use mine - a little later in the year - for seedlings of the cabbage family. They don't need to be warm but if I don't grow then under some cover, the birds dig 'em out! At the moment it's full of stacked seed trays! It's also got some variegated box cuttings in. they are very useful - especially if you don't have a greenhouse. My cold greenhouse had onions seedling and peas in root-trainers and broad beans in modules. You don't need to grow these inside - they will do fine oudoors, but I like to give mine a bit of a boost.

I'd say most of the stuff you could put in a cold greenhouse in spring can go in there at the seedling stage. Useful for hardening off too - gradually acclimatising plants to the outside world - because you can prop the lid up in the day but still give some protection at night.

[janeyo]

Thanks Janeyo - Can I ask what sort of salad leaves and lettuce you are growing? Or does it not really matter?

Hi I've got rocket, niche salad mix, lakeland lettuce, and all seasons salad. They are just at the 'proper' leaf stage. It's a first attempt at this so a bit of an experiment really. I'll have ony lost a few seeds and will be re-sowing every month or so anyway.

[Snadger]

I use my cold frame mainly as a half way house for plants I have sown in the greenhouse to harden them off before planting out!

[Borisbump]

Some great replies thank you. I'm getting a better idea of what to use the cold frame for now. There's so much to learn my head is spinning