Maximizing a Short Growing Season: Cold Frames and Raised Beds

Raised garden bed with cold frame

Minnesota’s growing season, especially in the northern regions, is short. Cold frames and raised beds allow gardeners to stretch this limited window:

  • Cold Frames: Simple structures with clear lids that trap solar heat, ideal for hardening off seedlings or growing greens early and late in the season.
  • Raised Beds: Improve drainage, warm up faster in spring, and provide better soil control.

Use these tools to start crops like lettuce, radishes, and spinach weeks before the last frost. In fall, extend your harvest of cool-season crops even after light frosts.