Building a simple cold frame, it's cheap, easy and will protect plants from cold

Here's two cheap and easy ways to keep the garden going as it gets cold. Photos by Doug Oster

I got the idea for a straw bale cold frame from my friend Niki Jabbour, author of "The Year Round Vegetable Gardener." It's just four bales of straw butted together to form a square with an old window on top.

Inside are some Italian dandelion greens which love cool weather and might last all winter.

To the right is one of six skylights which I'm using to cover 'Amish Deer Tongue' lettuce.

I don't want the garden season to end and there's nothing like picking fresh greens all winter long.

There are lots of crops like lettuce, arugula, dandelions and other greens which will thrive in cold weather.

The bugs are gone, there's lots of rain and many of the four legged pests have bed down for the winter.

Winter gardening is easy and fun!