getting the cold frame ready for winter

Friday, I transplanted my winter seedlings to my cold frame.

Before transplanting, I removed the cucumber vines and eggplants that were in the frame over the summer. I picked lots of cucumbers and a few eggplants, then pulled out the eggplants and pushed the cucumber vines to the back. There is still a big tomato plant growing in the frame and some herbs (rosemary, oregano, parsley and basil).

The seedlings I transplanted are all greens: lettuce, spinach, escarole, bok choy, etc. I'd like them to grow to harvest size over the next few weeks, while there is still enough light for them to grow. Later, they will stop growing but will hopefully remain good for harvest all winter. What actually happens depends on the weather.

The weather has been perfect weather for the recent transplants - rainy and cool. They look really good today. I will give them some fish fertilizer soon.

The cold frame cover panels are not on yet, but with frosty weather predicted soon, I will likely put them on next week. (I wonder if I need a fresh layer of plastic on the frame before winter. Looking at the photo, it seems I might.)