DIY Cold Frame
Gardening in the colder months can be difficult, but with a cold frame you can extend your growing season and enjoy the fruits of your labor year-round. A cold frame is a great way to protect your plants from the harsh winter weather and give them the protection they need to thrive.
Quality cold frames
The cold frame, so useful for hardening plants started in a hot bed or in a mild climate for raising seedlings, is within the reach of every home gardener. The most convenient size is a box-like structure, 6 feet wide and say 9 or 12 feet long. Keeping the length in any multiple of 3 feet permits the use of the standard 3 x 6 feet hot bed sash.
Let’s take a look at how you can build a cold frame for your own garden.
Cold Frame Kits
A cold frame is a box with a clear lid, used for protecting plants from cold weather. They can be made from a variety of materials, but cold frames made from plastic or metal are the most common. Cold frames are often used to extend the growing season by allowing plants to be started earlier in the spring and protected from late frosts. They can also be used to protect delicate plants from cold weather in the winter. A cold frame kit typically includes everything you need to assemble a cold frame, including the panels, hinges, and screws. Some kits also include a thermometer so that you can monitor the temperature inside the cold frame.
Quality Cold Frame
A cold frame provides protection for plants from adverse weather conditions, mainly excessive wet or cold weather by creating a micro-climate through wind protection and soil and air insulation. This cold frame tantalized wood finish for a higher degree of weatherproofing.
All Year Round Cold Frame
A raised bed / cold frame combo – perfect for people who have difficulty bending or are in a wheelchair.
Large Wooden Cold Frame
We like this cold frame because the design allows easy access from either side and the hinged lids stay open with a simple mechanism that securely locks into place.
Materials Needed
The first step in building a cold frame is gathering all of the materials that you need. This includes an old window or plexiglass sheeting, lumber, screws, nails, hinges, and insulation material such as straw or hay bales. You will also need tools like saws, drill bits, and screwdrivers.
Building the Frame
Once you have all of your materials gathered together, it’s time to start building your cold frame. Begin by cutting two pieces of lumber into four equal lengths and then using these four pieces to create the frame for your window or plexiglass sheeting. Attach them together with nails or screws and make sure that they are securely fastened together before moving on to the next step. Once this is done, attach hinges to one side of the frame so that it can be opened and closed easily when needed.
The frame should be 12 inches high in the back, sloping down to 8 inches in the front. This slope is for securing a better angle from the sun’s rays, and should be faced towards the south. The Cold Frame is similar to a hot bed except that no manure is used. The plants require more ventilation in a cold frame than in a hot bed, but as it is best to keep the soil rather dry, should not receive so much water.
Adding Insulation Material
Now that you have built the basic framework for your cold frame, it’s time to add insulation material such as straw or hay bales around it so that it keeps warm air trapped inside during colder months.
Fill the interior with good potting soil, and pile a little earth up against the outside of the frame to keep out the cold air. If only required for hardening off or for raising plants in seed boxes, the floor of the frame may be covered with small cinders. A greenhouse sash, as suggested above, or canvas, may be used as a covering. For raising seedlings in seed boxes proceed as recommended (see Seed Boxes) and place the seed box in the frame. This is not feasible for early seedlings of tender plants, such as Tomato, Melon, Marrow, etc., but will splendidly work well in the Winter for raising Cabbage, Lettuce, Brussels Sprouts, etc.
This will help protect your plants from frost and keep them healthy throughout wintertime. Make sure that you spread out the insulation material evenly around the entire perimeter of your cold frame so that there are no gaps where heat could escape.
Building a cold frame is simple yet effective way to get more out of your garden during colder months without having to invest too much money or effort into it! With just some basic tools and materials, you can create an insulated environment for your plants so that they can continue thriving even during harsh winter weather conditions. Of course if you’re looking for an easier solution than building one yourself then there are plenty of ready-made options available online too! Regardless of which route you go down though – either DIY or pre-made – adding a cold frame to your garden this winter season will be sure to bring joy all year round!
