Vegetable Gardening 



125 



so that the glass will slope toward the south, thus ad- 

 mitting the largest possible amount of sunlight as well 

 as draining off the rain. Sometimes a permanent hot- 

 bed is made by digging a pit thirty inches deep and 

 bricking up the sides. This has only to be refilled each 

 year. 



The chief purpose of a cold frame is to protect plants A cold 

 from frost. It is similar to a hotbed, except that no ma- / mme 

 nure is put into it to supply extra warmth (Fig. 103). 

 The frame is sometimes covered with cloth instead of 

 glass. 



There are several reasons why it is often better to start Four 

 plants in a nursery, such as a hotbed or cold frame, than 



to plant them in the garden directly. First, as already hotbed or 

 noted, time can be gained while we are waiting for frame 

 weather warm enough for outdoor planting. Second, 

 an early, quick-growing crop such as radishes can be 



FIG. 103. Sash-covered cold frame. 



U. S. D. A. 



