So as I sit here writing it’s snowing outside. And yet, two days ago I harvested and ate my first salad of the season. I’ve been craving some fresh greens (I’ve been eating my frozen kale all winter long and still have a lot to go) and assumed I’d get some sort of early harvest because of my cold frame.

Greens in Cold Frame- March 4, 2013

But it was a shock on Monday when I went out to my cold frame to open it up (so the temperature inside didn’t get too high) and saw many of the plants inside (mustard, arugula & lettuce mostly) were suddenly of harvestable size, smallish, but still harvestable.

Arugula, Lettuce & Mustard

As you can see from the top picture there’s plenty of empty space in the cold frame, so I’m going to throw some addition seed in there this week. More of what’s already there, plus some beets. It would be too early to start any of these without protection, but it’s perfectly fine in a cold frame.

If you’re planning on getting your garden going early, you should already be starting seeds either in a cold frame, in a greenhouse, or inside under lights. Seeds you can/should start now include any member of the Onion family, Cabbage family (Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, Mustard, Bok Choy), Beets, Arugula, Lettuces, & Spinach.

May you grow your own salad as early as you can.