cold frame questions

[tdump]

Ok I built a cold frame last year and did not use it. I want to use it this year. I had tilled the soil in it and added all kinds of stuff to it and that soil mix should be well ready for use sitting in there for a year. This morning I added a bag of compost to it and stirred it up. I added some water to it. The soil is soft and shoveled very easy so I think it should be good. I put more tree grindings around it for insulation this morning to.
My goal is to plant some lettuce and radishes and maby some onions.

What I would like is for you folks to look at what I did and tell me what is right or wrong so I can correct it while I have time before I want grow stuff. I am thinking start the lettuce here in the house and get it up and growing before I put it in there.

[tomc]

On a sunny day your cold frame is going to get hot! Plan on cracking it open a little on every sunny day. Almost as open as it is set now.

Onions and radish in the Carolina's I would plant direct to field.

[tdump]

Ok I did learn the hard way about the temp. Last year when I built it I put a cheap thermometer in it and it got to 120 several times. And then 1 day,it blew the top off the thermo.
So opening It will be something to do each day.
I checked so I could explain further. The box is about a foot tall in front,about 20 inches at back and about 8 to 10 inches of good soil inside.
I put the box about 2 inches into the ground so it would not move around if I bumped it with the lawnmower or something. It is angled towards the south east and gets the first 6 to 7 hours of sun each day.

[tdump]

Ok,so for my first attempt at this I am going to plant some leaf lettuce and onion seeds in trays here in the house and get it growing good and put it in the cold frame. I am thinking the stuff should be ready end of February?
And at that time I will put the radish seed in there. I am ready to start gardening!.

[Gary350]

I have a thermometer inside mine a sunny day with 5" of snow 28 degrees F outside it is 70 degrees inside.

A different day 55 degrees and sunny outside it is 98 degrees inside.

I have nothing planted in one grass is green and 12" tall. I moved it away now there is 12" of green grass growing in snow it sure looks strange.

Google search for cold frame and hot bed the same group of photos come up.

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit . . . Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

[tdump]

Lettuce is growing well here in the bedroom over the heat mat. 48 hours from the time I planted it till germination! so I should have something to transplant to the cold frame in a few weeks.

[tdump]

Just thought I would post a interior pic.