Cold Frame Construction How To Build A Cold Frame For Gardening

How do you make a cold frame?
How deep does a cold frame need to be?
How can I make a cheap cold frame?
Can you start seeds in a cold frame?
How do you keep a cold frame warm at night?
What can I grow in a cold frame?
Where is the best place to put a cold frame?
Should you insulate a cold frame?
What is the best height for a cold frame?
How do you harden seedlings in a cold frame?
Do cold frames need to be in the sun?

How do you make a cold frame?

To make a cold frame start with an old, salvaged window or windows or a clear door, such as a shower door. If you can't get one, use a sheet of glass or twinwall polycarbonate secured to a simple wooden frame. To fix the lid to the frame you will need some strong hinges, and if you wish you can also add handles.

How deep does a cold frame need to be?

The ideal size for a cold frame is 3 by at least 6 feet, about 12 inches deep along the front sloping to 18 inches at the back. You can build a cold frame out of 1×12 pressure-treated lumber, assembled with nails and screws for permanency or prefabricated corners for easy dismantling and storage.

How can I make a cheap cold frame?

Building a cold frame isn't expensive and you can easily build one to suit your budget. You can build one with a plastic sheet and some bricks or an old glass window and some straw or hay bales. This cold frame was made using plastic packaging and bricks laying around the yard.

Can you start seeds in a cold frame?

Can You Plant Seeds in Cold Frames? The answer is a resounding yes, cold frames for spring seedlings is a great idea. In fact, you should consider starting your seeds in early spring this way for a few reasons: With a cold frame, you can start seeds as much as six weeks earlier than you would put them in the ground.

How do you keep a cold frame warm at night?

A mat or blanket may be placed over the frame on cold nights to conserve heat, but this increases temperature by only a few degrees. There are times, however, when a few degrees can be very important.

What can I grow in a cold frame?

Using a Cold Frame to Overwinter Plants

Hardy salad leaves from winter lettuce to mizuna to corn salad (lamb's lettuce or mache) can be sown in the frame in late summer and will keep in great condition over winter.

Where is the best place to put a cold frame?

Place your cold frame somewhere sunny and sheltered, so plants and seedlings get as much light and warmth as possible. A patio provides a stable surface; at an allotment, a few flagstones will do the trick. Or position it on top of the soil, using it as a large cloche when sowing or planting directly into the ground.

Should you insulate a cold frame?

A wooden, cement block, or solid cement cold frame can be insulated easily with the addition of 2 or more inches of Styrofoam around the inside of the frame and with a layer of 1½ inches on the bottom under the growing bed. ... Insulation can increase night air temperature inside the frame by 8°F or even more.

What is the best height for a cold frame?

The frame should be just tall enough to clear the crops you plan to grow. In the standard design, the back wall is 12 inches high and the front wall 8 inches high, so that there is a slight slope to the south.

How do you harden seedlings in a cold frame?

To begin hardening off plants, place them into a shaded cold frame on a cloudy day for a few hours. Then, close the frame. Gradually, increase the amount of sunlight the transplants receive and how long the frame remains open each day.

Do cold frames need to be in the sun?

The whole idea of the structure is to gather sunlight and warmth so the best position for a cold frame will be one that offers full sunshine and will shelter your plants.