I transplanted radishes, arugula, and kale to the cold frame one week ago. They are still very small compared to the spring green seedlings inside. Both sets of plants were started at the same time. Growth is slow in the cold frame because of the lower temperatures. It dipped back down to freezing for a few nights, but we are slowly approaching spring. 
I transplanted arugula, kale, and radishes to the cold frame on Thursday March 6th. I left the top cracked open to let air circulate. We had a drenching rain today that kept all of the spring greens perky.
Today I built a cold frame using an old window, bricks, wood, and straw. The ground was frozen, but manageable. I can plant my seedlings in the frame in 2-3 weeks (let’s hope the soil warms!).
I also sowed Red Milkweed in peat pots, watered, covered, and placed them in the fridge. I will remove them in 10 days and place them under the grow lights.
The purple basil sprouted a few days ago.
I now have radish, arugula, collards, kale, chamomile (tiny tiny seedlings!), and mustard greens sprouted inside. The light setup works like a charm.
These are all spring greens that I will transfer to a cold frame in a few weeks. The chamomile and the one sad looking lavender sprout I have will have to be treated very gently. The coleus and viola have shown no life yet. I checked the temperature of the soil in the containers, and they are at a steady 65 degrees Fahrenheit- a suitable temperature for most things to germinate. We’ll see.
I like the way clay pots look. They unfortunately dry out very easily. I watered the seedlings this morning and the top of the soil is already looking crusty. I’ve converted several plastic containers to seed pots. Milk jugs, yogurt containers, berry containers, and all sorts of things. You can make anything a container for plants by drilling holes (vital step!) in the bottom for drainage. I also scavenge the abandonded tupperware at work and take it home to convert to plant containers.
I built the basic structure for raised beds by adjusting the existing raised beds. It’s a much better design because I’m using the space more efficiently. The two tires you see at the west end are the site of the future hop yard. Two hop rhizomes are on mail order. The hops can be planted early spring.
The Middle bed will hold spring greens in a cold frame for a few weeks and then, come Memorial Day, I’ll make the switch over to summer flowers- cosmos, poppy, marigold- perennial herbs- rosemary, thyme, lavender- and some lettuces here and there.
The middle bed gets a mix of sun and shade. I’m going to make a “berm” of sorts and plant prairie plants there-red milkweed, purple prairie clover, and flax. It’s a work in progress right now, but I feel accomplished just having the basic layout done. Over the next few weeks I will be adding compost from the yard heap, worm castings from my worm poop farm, and mulch that I can scavenge from the alley.
Wow, I just found out about Lasagna bed gardening or sheet composting. I can’t believe that I can build up my raised beds without double digging or having to wait until the soil can be worked. Amazing! This means that I can start building the bed as soon as the snow melts. See instructions here: Lasagna gardening 101
I used an old coffee table from the alley to suspend a standard shop light
for growing plants.
I seeded Arugula, Spinach, Coriander, mustard greens, kale, and red lettuce.
Ideas?
The heap is about 4 feet tall with about a 6 foot diameter. It’s basically falling in on itself and the original structure is not holding up so well. It will be quite the task to rebuild.
I started lavender, dill, and chamomile inside today. Chamomile needs light to germinate and the seeds are smaller than dust particles. It might be tricky with the long germination time.
We got a few inches of snow last night. My winter sowing seed containers now have a fresh layer of snow.
I made myself a pretty big worm bin using a rubbermaid container. I drilled holes in the lid and top half of the sides of the bin. Then, I filled the bottom with shredded newspaper, potting soil, red wigglers, and vegan kitchen scraps. 
The worms are doing very well after an initial start of close monitoring and tweaking the moisture level.
I winter sowed poppies, kale, arugula, black eyed susan, and spinach on Feb. 14th.
